Last 3 months headlines – Page 1207
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McGowan takes up the two-bar challenge
Maura McGowan QC has become the second woman to lead the 15,000-strong bar profession, after Heather, now Lady Justice, Hallett. She takes over at a time when many at the bar, the publicly funded bar in particular, face huge challenges. Though the bar prides itself ...
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Barclays hunts for new GC as legal in-tray mounts
Barclays’ general counsel Mark Harding is to retire after a decade in the post, the bank announced. Group finance director Chris Lucas is also stepping down, though both senior executives will remain until successors are found. Commenting on the departures, ...
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‘Necessary’ test to cut expert witnesses in family cases
A new rule aimed at cutting the number of expert witnesses called in family cases has come into force this month. Previously, evidence from experts such as psychologists and doctors would be heard if it was ‘reasonably required’. Since 1 February judges have begun applying a ...
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A spectator’s view
Obiter isn’t the jealous type, so can only congratulate a colleague who is clearly getting all the billable work she can handle. Charlotte Harris, partner at transatlantic firm Mishcon de Reya – ‘It’s business. But it’s personal’ – was booked to speak at the Spectator magazine’s debate last Wednesday, against ...
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The old firm
Obiter’s foolish suggestion last week that Wimbledon firm Gregsons, celebrating its 225th anniversary, might be the oldest in the country has been promptly corrected by learned colleagues. As ever, the Law Society’s librarians came up with a definitive answer, pointing out that Thomson Snell & Passmore, founded in 1570, is ...
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Peers pursue low-cost arbitration service
A group of four peers will this week make the case for an arbitration service for defamation cases. In an amendment to the Defamation Bill to be debated tomorrow, the Lords want to follow the recommendation of the Leveson report and push forward a low-cost arbitration ...
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Mongolian market blossoming
Mongolia is the latest land of opportunity for law firms, according to the Law Society’s international section. The Asian country has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, driven by mineral developments such as Rio Tinto’s investment in the Oyu Tulgoi gold and copper mine. ...
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Drone dialogue
When can states use lethal drone strikes on terrorists operating abroad? There is little consensus between government lawyers and academics on when international law will permit unmanned aerial vehicles to target individuals. And the need for a common position was given added impetus late last month when a QC announced ...
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PC countdown
The SRA has said that its intention is to process 95% of all renewal applications for practising certificates within 30 days of receipt of the application and full payment. We submitted our application and made full payment on 6 December. On 29 January, the SRA advised that the application was ...
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Public law ultra vires
It is clear that in certain circumstances a local authority can plead lack of legal capacity as a defence to a private law claim (see Credit Suisse v Allerdale Borough Council [1996] 4 All ER 129). However, can a local authority prosecute for failure to have a valid caravan site ...
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Mid-sized firms feel the pinch in Scotland
Scottish firms are emptying their bank balances as partners face up to reduced profits, a survey revealed today. Research commissioned by the Law Society of Scotland found that median profit was £64,000 per partner in 2012, £7,000 down on the previous year. ...
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A quarter of judges escape Grayling’s pension cuts
Judges within 10 years of retirement will be shielded from reform of their pension scheme, justice secretary Chris Grayling today confirmed. Those who were 10 years, or less, away from retirement at 1 April, 2012 – around 25% of the total profession – will continue in their current schemes and ...
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A flawed international tribunal
Considering its economic, kinship and historic ties with the UK, Bangladesh is absurdly under-reported in the British media. So you probably won’t have picked up the latest news from the country’s attempt to draw a judicial line under events that took place during its bloody birth, four decades ago.
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‘Limited trust’ threat to SRA whistleblowing plan - Society
Whistleblowers in the legal profession do not trust the SolicitorsRegulation Authority enough to agree to report misconduct, the Law Societysaid today. The Society said there was no pressing need for a cooperation policy toencourage people to report colleagues for wrong-doing.
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‘Limited trust’ undermines SRA whistleblower plan - Society
Whistleblowers in the legal profession do not trust the Solicitors Regulation Authority enough to agree to report misconduct, the Law Society said today. The Society said there was no pressing need for a cooperation policy to encourage people to report colleagues for wrongdoing. ...
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EC proposes new money-laundering controls
A long-awaited directive against money laundering published by the European Commission today includes new mechanisms to ensure that beneficial owners of companies are identifiable. The commission’s fourth anti-money laundering (AML) directive includes a regulation governing information that accompanies fund transfers. The commission said the proposals ...
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Solicitors urged to vet insurer finances
The Law Society is warning solicitors to check the financial strength of an insurer before purchasing their next professional indemnity insurance policy. The Society said the warning is to quell the misconception that insurers on the Solicitors Regulation Authority list of ‘qualifying insurers’ are ...
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MPs condemn ‘shambolic’ court interpreter deal
The Ministry of Justice’s outsourcing of court interpreter services was ‘nothing short of shambolic’ according to a highly critical report from the House of Commons Justice Committee, which questions whether the deal is ‘financially sustainable’. The report, published today, also condemns the MoJ’s actions in seeking ...
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Lords back Leveson-style press arbitration service
Peers voted last night in favour of an amendment to the Defamation Bill to introduce a low-cost arbitration service to help ordinary citizens who feel they have been wronged by the press. The House of Lords voted in favour of the change, a key recommendation of ...