Last 3 months headlines – Page 1338
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Government must be persuaded to value legal profession
This is my last president’s podium. In June, I looked back over the year and selected what I felt were some of the Law Society’s key achievements. Now I want to look forward and give my personal perspective on the ...
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Lord Justice Jackson’s reforms will hurt the most vulnerable
by Nigel Muers-Raby, chairman of the Consumer Justice Alliance Lord Justice Jackson’s ill-conceived proposals for the reform of civil litigation have commenced their journey through parliament.
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Solicitors and others remain divided over desirability of the government’s civil justice reforms
In The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, the government conceded remarkably little following extensive - though hardly protracted - periods of consultation. As reported in the Gazette, 5,000 submissions on the legal aid proposals made hardly any difference to the bill’s contents. ...
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The News of The World’s attack on lawyers in the Bellfield case is breathtaking
The alleged hacking of Milly Dowler’s phone by the News of the World is a story that has shocked many journalists; and we tend to be pretty hard-boiled. Appallingly, it seems that journalists from that paper deleted messages in the days after Milly’s disappearance, raising ...
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Civil litigation reforms give carte blanche to exploit developing nations
You know, I have a lot of sympathy for you ambulance-chasing solicitors. There you are, hurtling down busy streets in pursuit of the big white van - without a siren or flashing lights but still expected to keep up. Perhaps we should ...
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Society appoints new SRA board members
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has announced the appointment of three new members to its board. They are solicitor member Moni Mannings, partner and head of City firm Olswang's finance group; lay member Shamit Sagger, professor of politics at the University of Sussex and former chair of ...
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FSA finds no evidence of insurer bias against BME firms
An investigation by the Financial Services Authority has found no evidence that insurers discriminated against black and ethnic minority law firms during last year’s professional indemnity insurance renewal. Following interventions from the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Equality and Human Rights Commission, the FSA was asked to ...
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Should more law firms plan their clients’ engagement with the media?
The recent controversy around privacy injunctions almost provoked a constitutional crisis. Yet many still regard it as an issue of concern only to media lawyers, or wealthy celebrities with the means to cover up their misdemeanours in court. ...
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LGBT lawyers believe judicial selection process is discriminatory
Some 70% of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) lawyers believe that the judicial selection process discriminates against them, while the same proportion say they would be likely to apply for a judicial role themselves if there were more existing judges who were openly gay, according to a report published ...
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Olswang to draft code of conduct for News of the World owner
Media law firm Olswang has been drafted in by News International to draw up a new code of conduct, it has confirmed. The media organisation, which owns the ...
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Society calls for safeguards in bail legislation
The Law Society has urged the home secretary to consider safeguards to the emergency bail legislation about to go through parliament to prevent abuse of the bail system by police. The emergency legislation has been prompted by a High Court ruling in the case of murder ...
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Top-100 firms concerned by Legal Services Act reforms
Top law firms are coming under increasing pressure from clients to reduce fees, a poll has revealed, while a growing number fear that Legal Services Act reforms will pose a risk to profits. Finance directors from the top-100 UK firms, surveyed by legal information provider Sweet ...
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Call for political involvement in judicial appointments
Political involvement in the appointment of judges is needed to bring about a more diverse judiciary, a leading academic told a House of Lords constitution committee inquiry into the fairness and effectiveness of the present judicial appointments system today. Experts also said suggested that widening the ...
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Clifford Chance partner profits top £1m
Profits per equity partner (PEP) at magic circle firm Clifford Chance have topped £1m for the first time since the recession. The end-of-year figures released today by the Canary Wharf-based firm showed revenues were up for the last financial year to £1.22bn, up just 2% on ...
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Walmart’s class action lawsuit
In a decision favorable to employers, the US Supreme Court has held in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v Dukes that the lower court improperly certified a massive class action lawsuit. Specifically, the Court found that the plaintiffs failed to prove that their allegations of discrimination were ...
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What you don’t know about your clients
The Legal Services Board’s independent consumer panel has produced some good research in their recently published Tracker Survey 2011. These results build on the ideas about how to use research in my blog post from February, ‘Consumer research: will it tell you all?’.
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Legal Ombudsman publishes complaints against firms
The Legal Ombudsman has begun publishing anonymous case studies as part of a drive to improve client service and complaints-handling by law firms. The published complaints have been broken down into areas of law. Complaints revealed so far include a criminal defendant ...
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And you think you’ve got problems
If you can bear to tear yourself away from contemplation of justice cuts in the UK, here is a story of justice cuts in the richest country on earth. We are becoming poorer in the West, loaded with debts from living beyond our means, while ...
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Society formally urges Clarke to ban referral fees
The Law Society has written to justice secretary Kenneth Clarke urging him to act immediately to ban referral fees, after he revealed last week that he is ‘considering’ the issue. Society president Linda Lee said she had met with Clarke and minister for employment Chris Grayling ...
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Human rights lawyers warn against CFA reform
High-profile cases against multinational corporations may have to be scrapped under the government’s new litigation regime, lawyers suggested today. Human rights lawyers warned they will not be able to afford to take on as many cases in the world’s poorest countries without the Conditional Fee Arrangement ...