Last 3 months headlines – Page 1254
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2012 - the year of insolvency?
Now we have the Legal Services Act on the statute books and the first 100 alternative business structures (ABSs) applied for, what does this mean for the 8,000 or so firms who are facing a challenging future?
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Committal fee cut ‘leaves defendants unrepresented’
Defendants are being left unrepresented in magistrates’ courts following the government’s scrapping of lawyers’ fees for committal proceedings in either-way offences, the Law Society told the High Court this week. Lord Justice Burnton and Mr Justice Treacy heard the Society’s legal challenge to the lawfulness of ...
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Judicial evaluation key to quality assurance, SRA says
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has confirmed that it regards judicial evaluation as a ‘central feature’ of the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates. However, chief executive Antony Townsend warned today that quality assurance ‘should not be used as a device to exclude the demonstrably competent simply because their pattern of practice ...
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Court clerk turns to Google to fill interpreting gap
A court has resorted to web translation to communicate with a defendant as the fiasco over the government’s new interpreting regime continues to disrupt hearings.
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Immigration
Asylum seeker - Appeal - Respondent North Korean nationals seeking asylum SP (North Korea) and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department: Court of Appeal, Civil Division (Lord Justices Maurice Kay, McFarlane and Davis): 16 February 2012 ...
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Discrimination
Defendants running hotel - Defendants having strong religious beliefs Hall and another v Bull and another: Court of Appeal, Civil Division (Sir Andrew Morritt, Lord Justice Hooper and Lady Justice Rafferty): 10 February 2012 ...
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Human rights
Right to respect for private and family life - Freedom of expression Spelman (by his litigation friends) v Express Newspapers: Queen's Bench Division (Mr Justice Lindblom): 15 February 2012 The ...
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Data protection
On 25 January, the European Commission presented a proposal to reform the EU’s data protection regime. The proposal consists of a regulation governing private sector use of data that would replace the current Data Protection Directive (Directive 95/46/EC), and a new directive that would further regulate the processing of personal ...
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Social security
Housing benefit - Entitlement - Sheltered accommodation - Claimant in receipt of housing benefit Basey (by his litigation friend) v Oxford City Council: CA (Civ Div) (Lord Justices Mummery, Sullivan): 15 February 2012 ...
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Employment
Employment tribunal - Procedure - Hearing Eversheds LLP v Gray: EAT (Judge Clark): 29 November 2011 Rule 16(1) of the Employment Tribunals (Constitution and Rules of Procedure) Regulations 2004, SI ...
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Cash crisis could close half of CABs
Half of the 3,500 CAB advice centres run by the Citizens Advice charity could close as the government continues to squeeze legal aid and other sources of funding. News of the possible cull comes as the government prepares to give CAB extra work following its ‘bonfire of the quangos’. ...
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Government announces legal aid concessions
The government has made two key concessions demanded by opponents of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders bill, days before the legislation enters report stage in the House of Lords. In amendments tabled today, the government accepted that the broad definition of domestic violence ...
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Conveyancing forms update plan
The Law Society is seeking views on revising its general enquiry forms for residential conveyancing. It aims to update the property information form TA6 and the fittings and contents form TA10, which are filled in by sellers. Jonathan Smithers, chair of the Society’s land ...
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Extending the act, emails, and empty properties
Approximately 130,000 organisations are covered by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FoI). Section 5 of the act allows additional organisations to be added to the list by way of a ministerial order. The criteria are that they must exercise public functions or provide contracted out public authority functions.
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A bit of give and take
Fiona Woolf overlooks the contribution of clients with regard to her hopes that more women will reach the top in law firms. I agree that many law firms find it difficult to accommodate flexible working, but it is clients too who need to change their attitude to women lawyers.
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First complaint
For many years I have been a very contented customer of First Direct for my personal banking. I have recommended the service to others, including clients, unhesitatingly. No longer. While I still get an excellent service, I have complained to First Direct about their owner HSBC’s ...
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MoJ warned two years ago over interpreters
Ministry of Justice officials were warned two years ago that a central contract for courtroom interpreter services would lead to wrongful detentions, the Gazette has learned. Emails from a body representing interpreters also warned in 2010 that members would boycott the scheme. The MoJ and its ...