Last 3 months headlines – Page 1197
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Hundreds of firms fail to nominate compliance officers
Some 800 law firms failed to nominate compliance officers for legal practice (COLPs) and compliance officers for finance and administration (COFAs) by yesterday's deadline, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has revealed today. These two roles are a key part of the SRA's move to outcomes-focused regulation ...
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'Disproportionate intervention targets BME solicitors'
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) continues to target black and minority ethnic (BME) solicitors disproportionately for intervention, figures released earlier this week revealed.
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Regulators’ knuckles rapped on complaints handling
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is failing to comply fully with its duty to ensure complaints are properly handled, a review has found. All legal regulators were this week ordered by the Legal Services Board (LSB) to improve the way they handle complaints. In a letter to ...
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Inquisitorial judges at heart of family reform proposals
Greater case management by judges is at the heart of the judiciary’s proposals for the modernisation of family justice, published today. Mr Justice Ryder, the judge in charge of the family court modernisation process accompanying the Crime and Courts Bill, set out his plans to improve ...
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A very brief introduction to the Japanese legal profession
I have just come back from Kobe, Japan, where I attended a meeting with the Japanese and Chinese bars. This is an annual event in our calendar, and a beneficial one.
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Review slams ‘systemic failures’ in bar’s disciplinary system
A damning report on the barristers’ disciplinary regime recommends creating a new tribunals service after uncovering 'systemic failures' in the current system. The report by the Council of Inns of Court (COIC) disciplinary tribunals and review group makes 82 recommendations for change after finding ‘systemic failures’ ...
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Lasting power of attorney process to go online
The process of applying for lasting powers of attorney (LPA) is to go on the web under proposals announced by the Office of the Public Guardian on Friday. Basic information about individuals subject to powers of attorney would also be posted online, protected only by a password, according to the ...
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Intellectual property
Hearing - Practice - Defendant seeking to launch television service called ‘NOW TV’ Starbucks (UK) Ltd v British Sky Broadcasting Group Plc and other companies: ChD (Patents) (Mr Justice Arnold): 29 June 2012 ...
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Leading firms sign up to judicial recruitment campaign
Magic circle and other top law firms are spearheading a campaign to encourage more senior solicitors to apply for judicial office. The initiative follows the failure of earlier attempts to bring more solicitors into the judiciary. As the Gazette revealed last year, a committee of senior ...
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Twitter joke trial must not end here
There will be lots of talk of pride in Britain today, but perhaps the biggest source comes from the Royal Courts of Justice rather than the Olympic stadium. It was there, at the Court of Appeal, that justice - and sanity - finally prevailed, as Paul Chambers’ conviction of sending ...
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Law Society to protest at Santander’s 'panel cull'
Hundreds of solicitors are to be culled from Santander’s conveyancing panel - even after paying the lender’s charge of over £100 to have their panel membership reviewed, the Law Society has claimed. The Society said it would be ‘vigorously’ raising its concerns over Santander’s cull, which ...
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Father and daughter plead guilty to £250,000 legal aid fraud
A father and daughter who purported to be able to offer criminal law advice have pleaded guilty to frauds worth over £250,000, some against the Legal Services Commission. Mohammed Arshid Khatana, 51 and his daughter Mahria Khatana, 24, both of Hawkswood Gardens, Brierfield, Nelson, Lancashire, appeared ...
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Jurisdiction
Conflict of laws - Challenge to jurisdiction - Civil and commercial matters Antonio Gramsci Shipping Corporation and others v Recoletos Ltd and others: Queen's Bench Division, Commercial Court (Mr Justice Teare): 12 July 2012 ...
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Competition
Abuse of dominant position - Claimant company operating bus services on certain routes 2 Travel Group plc (in liquidation) v Cardiff City Transport Services Ltd: Competition Appeal Tribunal (Lord Carlile of Berriew CBE, QC, Peter Freeman CBE, QC and ...
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Fighting fraud
Angela Neale’s letter is a timely reminder that vigilance is key in everybody’s efforts to prevent property fraud.
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Tender points
In anticipation of the new legal aid contracts coming into force in April next year, I recently submitted a couple of tenders for new contracts, one of which was to deal with telephone-only advice in family law. Part of the pre-qualification questionnaire awarded points based on experience in providing a ...
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Retired out
Ken Clarke, at 72, confirms that judges will have to retire at 70 otherwise ‘politicians or somebody else will have to start appraising their performance’.
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Living and learning
In a tough market where budgets are tight and clients are demanding more for less, lawyers are having to broaden their skill set to stay in the game. Black letter law is not enough - practitioners need to be able to relate it to clients’ practical problems, deal with risk ...
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New draft code does not go far enough
Can we afford to prosecute people any more? We have already seen the government’s proposals to introduce what it calls ‘deferred’ prosecution agreements, under which companies that commit economic crimes will be able to escape criminal charges, indefinitely, if they agree to pay penalties and comply with other conditions. Last ...