Last 3 months headlines – Page 1220
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Will post-Jackson clients need protection from lawyers?
The government is now well on its way towards introducing damages-based agreements, which will be served up to litigants from a new menu of funding options next April. It issued a draft version of its DBA regulations nearly two months ago, and after inviting comments during ...
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Unmeritorious appeals ‘clogging the arteries’ of CoA
Increasing numbers of ‘unmeritorious’ appeals could have the effect of ‘clogging the arteries’ of the court of appeal, the registrar of criminal appeals has warned. In the court’s annual review published today, Master Egan QC says that with pressure on funding and as the number of ...
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Unified patent regime clears parliamentary hurdle
London is to hear all European patent cases concerning medical biotechnology, hygiene and chemicals, including pharmaceuticals, following today’s vote in the European parliament in favour of setting up a new court system for a unitary EU patent. The vote signals the final stage of nearly 40 ...
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Strasbourg Christmas surprises
Here is the first pantomime of the season. The scene opens in Strasbourg, where giants live: the European Court of Human Rights, and the Council of Europe, among others. Baron Hard-Up (otherwise known as the French government) owns their forest habitat, and has made it as difficult as possible to ...
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Human Rights Day warning to prime minister
The Law Society has warned the government that the ‘increasingly worrying tone’ of domestic debate about the Human Rights Act has placed the UK’s reputation for international human rights leadership at risk. In a letter to prime minister David Cameron and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, ...
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Smallest firms ‘hardest hit’ by fee rises
The smallest law firms have been hardest hit by this year’s increase in the cost of practising certificates, a finance provider has claimed. Professions finance provider Syscap said sole-trader firms had seen the cost of renewing PCs rise by as much as 40% this year. ...
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RTA Portal costs: a tale of dishonesty
by Anthony Learmonth, partner at Coyne Learmonth LLP Lord Young’s report in October 2010 led to the 2011 consultation in relation to the Jackson proposals. It will be recalled that much of the consultation took place between the government and the heads of the motor insurance ...
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Dishonesty in debates on tax law
Despite Starbucks’ announcement that it intends to start paying corporation tax in the UK, I’m finding the current debate on tax law frustrating. There is a lack of honesty on all sides. The debate as presented at the moment is a triangle. In one corner, ...
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Diversity boost for lowest rung of judiciary
A quarter of the lawyers recommended as deputy district judges (magistrates’ courts) in the most recent round of appointments were black, Asian and minority ethnic (BME), statistics released by the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) this week reveal. The Commission received almost 1,500 applications for the 28 ...
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Statement of intent
On initial reading, the autumn statement contained fewer tax-related announcements than might have been expected. On closer reading there are several developments, actual and potential, affecting clients (and solicitors).
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Civilise the internet, Leveson demands
The internet is not out of reach of the law, but new laws are likely to be required to ‘civilise the internet’, the judge charged with investigating the press has suggested. Speaking at the Communications Law Centre in Australia, Lord Justice Leveson said the internet posed ...
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Town and village greens - commercial property
Are town and village greens cherished community spaces? Or malicious and vexatious pre-emptors of vital development? This is the first of two articles on town and village greens: this piece considers case law; the next will consider proposals for reform. At common law, a green is equivalent to a special ...
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The Brazilian legal market
Commercial firms seeking new frontiers might want to board the next plane to Brazil, if they have not already done so. The country is growing rapidly and is now the sixth largest economy in the world, with a GDP per head bigger than India or China. Brazil has a population ...
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Call time on court shortcomings
I am writing to ask if your other readers feel the same about the centralisation of the money claims court process.
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QASA and the fear of review
There are those who have complained about the new Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates for its lack of ‘bite’. Practically speaking, an advocate would have to be not only incompetent, but doggedly determined to remain so, in order to lose rights of audience under the ...
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Connect2Law chief vows to create ‘leading’ UK brand
Legal referral and support network Connect2Law has announced the heavyweight appointment of David Jabbari to the new role of chief executive. Jabbari (pictured) will join the executive board and become a partner at Pannone, which established Connect2Law in 2001. Jabbari was until recently chief operating ...
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SRA approves compliance officers
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has confirmed the first set of approved compliance officers for legal practice, and finance and administration. About 5,000, just over 40% of the total, have been notified. Notifications of approval will continue to be sent to firms until 31 December. The new compliance officers will take ...
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‘Oppressive’ employment litigants costs call
‘Oppressive’ litigants in employment tribunal cases should have punitive costs awarded against them, the Law Society has said in its response to a review of tribunal rules. The Society also criticised the review’s proposed scrapping of the £20,000 cap on awards and called for provisions to ...