Last 3 months headlines – Page 1217
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London firms ‘boosted’ by foreign competition
A leading representative of City lawyers has said competition from foreign firms has provided a welcome boost to the London market - and he urged government to do everything possible to encourage more. Alasdair Douglas, chairman of the City of London Law Society, told the Gazette ...
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Warning over digital move
Criminal firms should not invest in ‘kit’ to work electronically until all agents in the justice system are fully committed, a solicitor piloting the digital scheme with the Crown Prosecution Service has said. Liverpool firm Kirwans has been taking part in a digital working pilot with ...
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Call for curbs on legal lobbyists
MPs have called for tighter restrictions on law firms that act as lobbyists for their clients. Firms should be forced to sign up to a new register for lobbyists if they are acting beyond simply advising their clients, they have urged.
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Dismissing workers at will 'counterproductive'
A group of 6,000 employment lawyers has warned that a proposal to cut red tape by allowing micro-businesses to sack staff who have done nothing wrong will not reduce tribunal claims.
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Lawyers wary of cost-shifting plan
Claimants who win their cases could still end up with nothing under the government’s new costs rules for personal injury, lawyers warned this week. Claimant solicitors said the way government plans to implement its qualified one-way costs-shifting (QOCS) rules will ‘undoubtedly’ deter people from making valid ...
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Deaf Law Centre hits out at discrimination ‘scandal’
Discrimination claims brought by deaf people climbed 37.5% in the last quarter, according to a legal charity. The ‘shocking’ increase underlines the need for more law firms to provide a service tailored to deaf people’s needs, the charity said. Society also needs to address the ‘scandal’ ...
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Heartbreak hotel
Bad news for any of Obiter’s family lawyer friends with plans for a cheap weekend away - the gain of out-of-season hotels may be their loss. We learned this week that Netherlands entrepreneur Jim Halfens intends to bring his ‘Divorce Hotel’ concept to the UK’s discreet shores (and to reality ...
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Nuisance call
With the House of Commons in the middle of another well-deserved break (it is Whitsun after all) it was left to the Lords to provide last week’s memorable lines.
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Practising levy could 'pay for every law centre in Britain'
A £25 levy on each solicitor in private practice could pay for every Law Centre in Britain to retain an experienced practitioner, the Law Centres Federation chief has suggested. The levy on practising certificates was one idea mooted at the LCF’s general meeting last week, at ...
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Going for gold
With shirts like these, it’s not surprising dark glasses were worn. You’re looking at the overall winners of the 22nd Manches Cup sailing regatta, a crew from City firm Banks Kelly. The event attracted over 350 solicitors and barristers for two days of yacht racing on the Solent. Magic circle ...
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Win a dinner
Chancery Lane commercial partner Hiscox is inviting readers to enter its exclusive Law Society prize draw to win a private dinner party. The winning Society member and five guests will be treated to a four-course meal prepared by an expert chef in the winner’s home. To enter, simply obtain a ...
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Stolen memories
The news that a fraudster tried to steal the papers from the judge’s desk during an adjournment reminds me of a number of incidents. Not least that of one of my clients, accused of passing a worthless cheque, who seized and ate it. There was also the somewhat seedy solicitor ...
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The unrestrained free market is now encroaching upon ‘middle class professionals’
It’s not miners and binmen this time. It’s you. Or people who look like you. In recent weeks, we have seen doctors, criminal barristers, and teachers (in an unprecedented show of solidarity) give notice of industrial action against coalition policy. Whether you sympathise is ...
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Local law societies will have to reassess role
During May, I welcomed the presidents and secretaries of local law societies from across England and Wales to Chancery Lane. We discussed the responsibility that flows from representing a profession that is, on the one hand, successful, diverse and adaptable and, on the other, faced with unprecedented changes.
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Lawyer trust stats to inform Society campaign
The need to build public trust will inform a forthcoming Law Society campaign to promote the solicitor brand, after a high-profile survey revealed a contrasting picture of consumer perceptions. Satisfaction with the value for money of legal services rose from 56% in 2011 to 59% ...
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Medics shake up regulation
An independent medical tribunal that is expected to handle some 340 doctors’ fitness-to-practise hearings a year launches today. The new Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS), which is operate separately from the General Medical Council (GMC), is to adjudicate on complaints made against any of the UK’s ...
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LSB report highlights web advice shortfall
Consumers of legal services want more tailored support from the internet as a first point of contact for their legal problems, a report has found. Research carried out by the Legal Services Board found consumers were often ‘swamped’ by information online and gave up halfway through ...
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Is a 'liberal' approach to knife crime working?
Don’t tell the Daily Mail, but the government is getting softer on knife crime - and it might just be working. Yesterday the Ministry of Justice confirmed the offences and sentencing figures for the first quarter of 2012. You can tell they’re ...
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Forced marriage to be criminalised
Forcing someone to marry will become a criminal offence in England and Wales, the prime minister confirmed today. But the legislation will not be introduced until the 2013/14 parliamentary session. The maximum sentence for the offence has yet to be decided. Breach of a Forced ...
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Law firms warned of cyber crime threat
UK law firms must strengthen their online security to protect clients from international hacking fraud, a former assistant US attorney warned today. He added that UK and US intelligence services report that China and Russia are both putting more resources into industrial espionage operations and that ...