Last 3 months headlines – Page 1329
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Out of pocket
I read with interest the comment from Peter Lewis, head of CJS Efficiency Programme. I am beginning to lose count of similar claims and ‘recommendations’ for us to sign up to this new system.
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Disputing costs
The suggestion by Laura Kelly that £400 to £500 after-the-event policies are responsible for the ‘mess’ in the civil legal costs system should be taken with a big pinch of salt.
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So, farewell then
It is obvious to everyone in the road traffic accident claims business that in the last four to five years things have changed. The number of claims, whether false, exaggerated, or genuine but minor, has exploded.
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No career choice
With the season of work experience students upon us, I am very glad that we have accepted few applicants this year. I am sure they are enthusiastic young things who just want to ‘help people’, but I would be curmudgeonly enough to advise them not to bother with the legal ...
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Civil court system faces ‘meltdown’
The civil and family court system is facing the prospect of chaos as the government prepares to cut face-to-face counter services and problems persist at the Salford civil claims centre, lawyers have warned.
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Grieve spells out ‘modernise or die’ message to adversarial system
The adversarial criminal justice system will survive only if practitioners embrace modernisation, the attorney general warned solicitors last week. Dominic Grieve QC told the Law Society’s criminal law conference that he believed ‘passionately’ in the adversarial system, which ‘delivers qualitatively better outcomes’ than cheaper regimes. ...
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Solicitors could access fraudster register
Insurers have suggested they may be willing to accede to solicitors’ demands to share information on known fraudsters. Personal injury lawyers have urged insurers to give them access to records of people who have made false claims. The Association of British Insurers is preparing a new ...
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A difficult combination: 'mis-sold' complex derivatives products
In private some commercial litigators marvel at the fact that more litigation has not emerged from the banking crisis and the UK’s prolonged period of recession and slow growth. But one source of potential claims against the UK’s four largest banks has been getting increasing attention this year - small ...
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Solicitors have ‘duty’ to disclose funding options
A leading US litigation funder has claimed lawyers have a ‘legal and ethical duty’ to tell clients about alternative funding options. Selvyn Seidel, co-founder and chairman of Fulbrook Management, told the Gazette that there is still a lack of information about the industry, despite most of ...
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Human rights
Extradition - Inhuman or degrading treatment - Applicants being accused of terrorist offences by US government Ahmad and others v UK: ECtHR (Judges Garlicki (president), Björgvinsson, Bratza, Hirvelä, Nicolaou, Bianku, Vucinic and L Early (section registrar)): 10 April 2012 ...
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Employment
Discrimination - Discrimination on the grounds of age - Employee partner in defendant solicitors’ firm Seldon v Clarkson Wright and Jakes: SC (Justices of the Supreme Court Lords Hope (deputy president), Brown, Mance, Kerr, Lady Hale): 25 April 2012 ...
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Judges will make QASA unworkable, says Kelcey
Judges will make the controversial quality assurance scheme for advocates ‘totally unworkable’ by refusing to engage with the assessment of candidates, a leading criminal solicitor-advocate has warned. Ian Kelcey, senior partner at Bristol firm Kelcey and Hall, told the Law Society’s criminal law conference last ...
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Queen’s speech ushers in era of cameras in court
News broadcasters have hailed the permitting of cameras in court for the first time as 'an important step for democracy and open justice'. The lifting of the ban was confirmed as part of the Queen's speech today and allows for judgments to be filmed and broadcast. ...
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Chinese firm enters London with co-operation plan
The first top-tier Chinese law firm to enter the London market says it is looking to co-operate - rather than merge - with UK firms. Zhong Lun has built a formidable base in China in less than 20 years, with 150 partners and more than ...
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Jack of all trades
How much does an ex-justice secretary cost? This question may be of more than passing interest to Ken Clarke, as political seers believe a Cabinet reshuffle may be imminent which could see the wily Westminster veteran jettisoned.
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Marathon man
Some lawyers run marathons. Naz Gauri, associate at Chadbourne & Parke’s London office, has just run six. In seven days. Across the Sahara. He was taking part in the 246km Marathon des Sables (MdS) - a seven-day ultra-marathon which includes one extra-long day when the ...
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It will soon matter (even) more how much loot resides in the ‘bank of mum and dad’
There are few things as dispiriting in modern public life as the sight of the great and good pulling up the drawbridge of opportunity. David Willetts, ‘the thinking person’s Tory MP’, has written a provocative book about the phenomenon: the unambiguously titled The Pinch: How the baby-boomers stole their children’s ...
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COLPs and COFAs central to outcomes-focused regulation
The launch of outcomes-focused regulation (OFR) on 6 October 2011 marked a pivotal shift in how law firms are regulated, with a less prescriptive and more risk-based approach. It has required firms to look closely at how they run their businesses and whether they have appropriate systems and procedures in ...