Last 3 months headlines – Page 1244
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IBA 2012: inside the bubble
At the risk of appearing graceless to my host, I can't help wondering if the International Bar Association ought to be more important than it is. After all, the world's biggest organisation of international bars and legal practitioners has this week convened what is thought to be the biggest gathering ...
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Khan: we’ll be tough on the causes of reoffending
A women’s justice board and a minister to tackle offenders’ mental health problems would be among a Labour government’s plans to fight crime and open a ‘war on reoffending’, the shadow justice secretary told the Labour party conference today.
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Justice names new chief
Campaign group Justice has appointed human rights lawyer Andrea Coomber (pictured) as its new director. Coomber, currently legal director of the international human rights organisation Interights, replaces Roger Smith. Smith announced his decision to step down in May after 11 years in the post. ...
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No turning back on cuts under Labour, says Khan
A future Labour government will not increase funding for criminal justice, the shadow justice secretary said today, but will look to promote ‘more effective and less expensive’ alternatives to custody and price-competitive tendering for criminal defence services.
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IBA 2012: public opinion 'immune' to torture since 9/11
People in liberal democracies have become 'immune' to the obscenity of torture since the US launched its 'war on terror', one of the world's great human rights champions told the International Bar Association conference today. Juan E Mendez, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other ...
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Small claims: a typical European story
An interesting report was published last week on the website of ECC-Net, the network of European Consumer Centres set up to help EU consumers. The network provides advice on EU consumer rights and helps with disputes with traders in other EU countries. The report looks at how the European small ...
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SRA goes global
The Solicitors Regulation Authority held the first ever international conference specifically for legal regulators last week, and it was a big success. More than 100 delegates attended, including regulators from the US, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Ireland and many other jurisdictions.
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Austerity a challenge to rule of law says Nobel prizewinner
Nobel economics laureate Professor Joseph Stiglitz yesterday urged lawyers worldwide to help safeguard access to justice in the face of deep cuts to state aid for legal representation. 'Inequality was growing before the financial crisis and has been exacerbated by it,' he told thousands of ...
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Neuberger sworn in at start of legal year
Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury was sworn in as the second president of the Supreme Court this morning, taking his seat as the most senior judge in the UK. His appointment follows the retirement of Lord Phillips who was the first president of the court opened by ...
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PI insurer’s collapse raises question mark over claims
The Law Society has urged former clients of the collapsed Lemma Europe insurance company to seek advice from their broker as soon as possible. Last week, the Supreme Court of Gibraltar appointed a provisional liquidator to establish the financial position of Lemma after the company had ...
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IBA 2012: ‘No western bias at International Criminal Court’
The UN's legal counsel has rebutted allegations that the International Criminal Court (ICC) is applying 'selective justice' by concentrating its attention on Africa. Patricia O'Brien also described as a 'misconception' claims that the US is 'in combat with' the court because it has not signed ...
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Offenders set to pay back their victims
All convicted criminals will pay towards supporting victims of crime, under new rules that come into force on Monday, justice minister Helen Grant announced today. Currently a victim surcharge of £15 is paid by offenders who are fined on conviction. Under the new scheme, all convicted ...
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Engaging with CC market investigations
A Market Investigation Reference (MIR) is made to the Competition Commission (CC) under the Enterprise Act 2002 when the Office of Fair Trading (or sector regulator, or in particular circumstances a minister) has reasonable grounds for suspecting that features of a market are preventing, restricting or distorting competition. In short, ...
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Motor insurers face competition probe
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) today referred the motor insurance industry to the Competition Commission after finding that motorists are being charged too much after an accident. The OFT provisionally decided to refer the market in May this year after a study found evidence that ...
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Court of Appeal ruling in 'whistleblowing' case
Members of limited liability partnerships are not ‘workers’ under employment legislation, the Court of Appeal ruled this week dismissing a whistleblowing claim made against City firm Clyde & Co. English qualified solicitor Krista Bates van Winkelhof alleged that she had been sacked by the firm in 2011, after she made ...
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Top 25 firms 'eclipsed' in growth figures
Law firms outside the top 25 in the UK are growing at a faster rate than those inside the top 25, new figures have revealed. Research by Deloitte into the first quarter of 2012/13 found firms between 26 and 50 grew fee income by 4.5%, whilst ...
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College of Law orders exam resits
The College of Law has ordered that 18 students retake two exams after papers were left overnight in a car that was then stolen. The scripts were driven off-site by a tutor from the Birmingham centre on August 29 but taken after burglars stole her handbag ...