Last 3 months headlines – Page 1340
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ABSs - unsettling times?
The new year begins (as 2011 ended) with a discussion of the impact of alternative business structures (ABSs) on the profession. At last, the Solicitors Regulation Authority is authorised to accept applications and license ABSs. It is reported that 10 firms have submitted applications so far. ...
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Firms in ARP given April deadline
Firms remaining in the insurance Assigned Risks Pool have been given until April to secure cover or to shut down. The Solicitors Regulation Authority has contacted each of the 31 firms which, of 3 January, were still open and covered by the ARP, and will make ...
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Court statistics ‘support case for reform’, government says
Care proceedings take on average more than a year to resolve, statistics released for the first time by the Ministry of Justice have revealed. New data on the average length of civil and criminal cases published this week from the third quarter of 2011 showed that care proceedings took an ...
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An obscene waste of money?
You might not want your wife and servants to watch them, but a jury at Southwark Crown Court has just decided that DVDs showing fisting and other hard core male-on-male sex action are not obscene under the Obscene Publications Act 1959. The failed prosecution arose in ...
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Can CFAs replace legal aid?
As housing and other social welfare lawyers face the prospect of legal aid being withdrawn from their sector under the government’s reforms, many are looking at whether their practice could adapt to operate under ‘no win, no fee’ agreements instead.
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Merger expectations grow among small firms
A third of small and medium sized firms expect to merge in the coming year as the trend to join forces continues, according to research by the Law Consultancy Network. The fourth set of six-monthly statistics complied by consultant Andrew Otterburn showed that 21 of the ...
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'Gang of Five' in late bid to halt civil litigation reforms
An alliance of lawyer pressure groups will this week make a last-ditch bid to halt the government’s civil litigation reforms.
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LeO should handle all complaints, says watchdog
The Legal Ombudsman should be given powers to handle complaints about all providers of legal services, the profession’s consumer watchdog said today. In the meantime, the scheme should be extended on a voluntary, 'stop-gap’ basis, to cover activities such as will-writing - an avenue that the ...
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Satellite jobs to go as Pannone aims south
National firm Pannone has announced that 12 jobs will be lost through the shutting of two satellite offices. The cuts will be a mixture of secretarial and fee-earning roles at offices in the Cheshire villages of Hale and Alderley Edge. Managing partner ...
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Londoners will fare worst from legal aid cuts - survey
Londoners will be hit hardest by the government’s planned legal aid cuts, a survey published by the Legal Action Group (LAG) has found. It has calculated that the capital will lose £9.33m under the proposed reforms in funding for housing, employment, debt, welfare benefits and immigration ...
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What to do about the Syrian Bar?
We should spare a thought for lawyers in Syria. I know that we have large issues like alternative business structures and legal aid to concern us, but they have a life-and-death struggle on their hands.
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US giant sets up English law practice
Major US firm Davis Polk & Wardwell is to set up an English law practice in a bid to break new markets from London. The move marks a new stage in the rivalry between New York and London jurisdictions. The firm, which opened in London ...
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Family lawyers renew attack on ‘devastating’ legal aid cuts
Removing legal aid for private family cases could lead to thousands of children losing contact with a parent and many families being left dependant on welfare benefits, family lawyers warn today. In a renewed attack on provisions of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of ...
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Marvo Dave and the albatross trick
David Cameron truly is a magician. Not in the Paul Daniels sense, of course, although I’m sure SamCam would make an equally lovely Debbie McGhee. His main trick is the power of persuasion. He has convinced the working man and woman to sneer at the words health and safety in ...
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Legal aid cuts are false economy, says study
Planned cuts to legal aid in private family work, social welfare law and clinical negligence will save less than half the sum predicted by the government, according to an independent economic study published today. The Law Society’s chief executive, Desmond Hudson, said the report’s findings ‘fatally undermine’ Ministry of Justice ...
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Obscenity trial shows up outdated law
In 1961, the case of R v Penguin books, more commonly known as the Lady Chatterley trial, exposed the gulf between what the English establishment and the public considered to be obscene. On Friday, it happened again when defendant Michael Peacock was found not guilty of publishing ‘obscene’ gay BDSM ...
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European and US lawyers warn IMF on threats to independence
Two bodies representing 1.4m lawyers across Europe and the US have formally warned the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that reforms imposed as part of economic rescue measures could undermine the independence of the legal profession.
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Should doom merchants have gone to Specsavers?
With the new year came the long-awaited announcement that the Solicitors Regulation Authority has begun processing applications from companies looking to become alternative business structures.
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Quality hallmark for HSBC’s conveyancing mini-panel
HSBC has established a conveyancing panel of solicitors and licensed conveyancers to provide legal services to its residential mortgage customers. Solicitor member firms must have the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) accreditation. The panel, managed by Countrywide, will launch on Monday across the UK. Of ...
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Profits flat at Allen & Overy
Relocating staff to a single central London site cost magic circle firm Allen & Overy almost £25m, it has emerged. The full cost of the move was revealed in its LLP annual report and financial statements for 2010/11. The one-off outlays meant that continuing costs rose ...