Last 3 months headlines – Page 1277

  • News

    Reputation is key

    2012-06-21T00:00:00Z

    As a solicitor of over 50 years’ qualification, I have a very different take from that expressed by 360 Legal Group’s Viv Williams in a recent blog. Mr Williams is the latest in a long line of doom-mongers.

  • News

    Right prescription

    2012-06-21T00:00:00Z

    The arguments of Junior Lawyers Division chair Hekim Hannan (Comment) are, to borrow his own words, ‘ill-considered and nonsensical’. He appears to speak for less than 10% of junior lawyers, let alone black people and other ethnic minorities, who, after attaining a respectable law degree and LPC, are unable to ...

  • News

    Broader picture

    2012-06-21T00:00:00Z

    I write in response to the article ‘End traditional training, says watchdog’. The part that concerns me is the suggestion to ‘end the "general practitioner" model’.

  • News

    Banking giant faces landmark mis-selling case

    2012-06-21T00:00:00Z

    Key defences relied on by banks in interest rate swap (IRS) mis-selling claims are set to be tested in court this October when the claim of business-owner Sara Pearson against Barclays comes to trial.

  • News

    A-Z of boundary disputes

    2012-06-21T00:00:00Z

    ‘I do not… accept that the days are gone when a party can litigate over a tiny strip of land, although I would certainly agree that it is usually economic madness to do so, but a person remains entitled in law to protect and preserve that which is his or ...

  • News

    Plans drawn up to expand patent opinions service

    2012-06-21T00:00:00Z

    The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has set out proposals to expand its patent opinions service and is seeking views on improving its mediation service to help cut the costs of resolving patent disputes.

  • News

    Shifting the burden: support for stress

    2012-06-21T00:00:00Z

    The suicide last year of a senior local authority solicitor who felt unable to cope with the demands placed on him following a 30% cut to his department’s budget shocked the profession. The pressure to do more with less is evident across all areas of practice, ...

  • News

    Super grass

    2012-06-21T00:00:00Z

    Obiter cannot be alone in experiencing a minor thrill from the annual permission bestowed by the annual Legal Charities Garden Party to walk past Lincoln’s Inn north lawn’s ‘Please keep off the grass’ sign.

  • News

    Law Conference 2012 preview

    2012-06-21T00:00:00Z

    In the original Star Wars film, answering Luke Skywalker’s scepticism about the space-worthiness of his ship the Millennium Falcon (‘What a piece of junk!’), interplanetary smuggler Han Solo reassures the young traveller: ‘She may not look like much but she's got it where it counts, kid. I've made a lot ...

  • News

    Law firms are acknowledging that they have a responsibility to solve the problems of their peers

    2012-06-21T00:00:00Z

    ‘Help’ can be the hardest word for a lawyer to utter. As reported in this week’s feature, a call for assistance clearly goes against the grain for people whose stock in trade is assisting clients of whatever type in solving their problems. Add to that the competitive and adversarial nature ...

  • News

    Law firms' collaboration helping to combat climate change

    2012-06-21T00:00:00Z

    by Desmond Hudson, chief executive of the Law Society This week business and political leaders are meeting for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development – dubbed ‘Rio+20’.

  • News

    Don't exclude future legal aid lawyers

    2012-06-21T00:00:00Z

    I am disappointed to see that my name has been missed off both the Queen’s birthday honours list and the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year (LALY). I suppose they should now be Public Funding Lawyer of the Year but PFLY (Phillies?) does not have the same ring to it. ...

  • News

    Theresa May is improperly cutting corners

    2012-06-21T00:00:00Z

    Ministers could benefit from a short induction course on the constitution. Theresa May might then have been reminded of what she probably already knows: it is odd to threaten the judiciary in the terms that she just has on immigration. ‘If they don’t [pay heed to non-statutory provisions] then we ...

  • News

    Strasbourg holds a whip-round to clear backlog

    2012-06-21T00:00:00Z

    The European Court of Human Rights has called for voluntary financial contributions from member states to fund extra lawyers to clear its backlog of cases.

  • News

    How to keep control of your e-disclosure

    2012-06-20T00:00:00Z

    In today’s digital age we are faced with numerous issues related to various types of e-disclosure matters. Be it a litigation dispute, regulatory enquiry or an internal investigation there are common obstacles which need to be addressed at each phase of the e-disclosure life cycle. For instance, a project may ...

  • News

    Society calls for flexibility in AML directive

    2012-06-20T00:00:00Z

    The Law Society has called on the European Commission to maintain the flexibility of a risk-based approach to anti-money laundering (AML) compliance as the EC drafts its fourth European money laundering directive. The Society’s response to a call for views also urges the commission to ...

  • News

    Lawyers slam shared parenting plan

    2012-06-20T00:00:00Z

    Lawyers have described government plans to introduce a legal presumption of shared parenting after relationship breakdown as ‘unnecessary political posturing’ that could detract from children’s wellbeing.

  • News

    DPAs: start of a new wave of massive corporate fines?

    2012-06-20T00:00:00Z

    With the proposed introduction of US-style deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) into UK law expected later this year, it is likely our regulators will soon be armed with a powerful new weapon to fight serious fraud, bribery and corruption. But how should UK companies be reacting to this news and what ...

  • News

    Cheer for SNR Denton partners as profits soar 48%

    2012-06-19T00:00:00Z

    SNR Denton’s financial performance has seen a 'material improvement' after its 'disappointing' results last year, according to figures announced today. Unaudited results for the EMEA region report profits per equity partner of £350,000 - up 48% on last year, and pre-tax profits of £28m - a 38% increase over last ...

  • News

    Bill threatens principles of ‘open and natural justice’

    2012-06-19T00:00:00Z

    A bill before the House of Lords this week threatens the principles of ‘open and natural justice’, the Law Society has warned. The Justice and Security Bill, which had its second reading in the House of Lords today (19 June), proposes extending closed material procedures (CMP) ...