Last 3 months headlines – Page 1341
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Striking contrast - white-collar militancy
In 1984 I was at secondary school in Wakefield, where the playing fields backed on to a training college for West Yorkshire Police. One afternoon, while meandering reluctantly to rugby practice, I encountered an extraordinary scene. Hundreds of uniformed police ...
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Disability charity mounts court challenge to Jackson reforms
A disability charity has mounted a High Court challenge to oppose government plans to reform ‘no win, no fee’ arrangements. The Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) says ministers have failed to consider properly the impact its proposals will have on the most vulnerable people in society. ...
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Irwin Mitchell in financial advice tie-up
National firm Irwin Mitchell has linked up with a financial advice group to offer legal services directly to its customers. The law firm will offer a range of services for clients using the Guardian Wealth Management (GWM) group. Irwin Mitchell has already ...
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District judge wins top legal aid award
The district judge behind the groundbreaking Family Drug and Alcohol Court was honoured at the ninth annual Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards this week. Nicholas Crichton (pictured, left) received the top award for outstanding achievement for his work in establishing the pilot of the ...
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Transport Committee re-opens insurance premiums inquiry
The transport committee has re-opened its inquiry into cost of motor insurance and has called on former justice minister Jack Straw to give oral evidence. Committee chair Louise Ellman, a Labour/Co-operative MP, said Straw’s recently published report on the rising cost of premiums would make a ...
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Clyde & Co enters Canadian market with merger
City firm Clyde & Co has become the latest UK practice to move into the Canadian marketplace. The firm, which has 24 offices around the world, has confirmed a merger with Canadian insurance firm Nicholl Paskall-Mede (NPM). NPM’s 40-strong team, including 15 ...
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Dianne Hayter resigns as chair of legal services consumer watchdog
The first chair of watchdog the Legal Services Consumer Panel has resigned after two years in the post. Baroness Hayter (pictured) has decided to step down because of her commitments in the House of Lords, the Legal Services Board said in a statement. ...
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The Bellfield trial and a counsel of caution
The fallout from the trial of Milly Dowler’s murderer has proved discomfiting for defence lawyers. Defence barrister Jeffrey Samuels QC has been vilified in the press for his questioning of Milly’s father and has apparently been sent threatening emails. The ...
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Commons committee fires warning on clinical negligence funding reforms
The House of Commons health committee has warned that government proposals to change the funding of clinical negligence cases could undermine access to justice and reduce compensation for some of the most seriously injured or disabled claimants. In a report published today, the committee, chaired by ...
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Abandonment - a growing concern
Why are we seeing such an increase in the situations where partners in law firms are just giving up their practice and simply closing the doors? These are predominately partners rather than LLP members but the fundamental issues are equally applicable to members of ...
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Legal news round-up from Europe
Last week, I wrote about developments in France. But there are changes of interest for lawyers taking place in other European countries, too. Poland seems to be having the hardest time. There is currently an Act ...
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Insolvency litigation funding
Insolvency practitioners (IPs) represent a sector of the litigation community that has been largely overlooked by Lord Justice Jackson and the Ministry of Justice through its endorsement to the proposed changes to eradicate recoverability of success fees and premiums. Critics argue the blindsided attention ...
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New rules on giving evidence aimed at protecting vulnerable
New laws designed to make it easier for children and vulnerable people to give evidence in court came into force today. The changes, contained in amendments to the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, provide a range of special measures which the court can direct ...
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We did listen on legal aid, Djanogly insists – but Law Society’s Lee vows to fight on ‘every clause’
Jonathan Djanogly has insisted that the government took full account of thousands of hostile responses to the government’s controversial proposals on legal aid and the Jackson reforms of civil litigation costs. However, the justice minister confirmed that the legislation published earlier this week is to ...
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Watchdog highlights ‘imbalance of power’ between consumers and lawyers
Consumers have benefited from the first four years of the Legal Services Act, but there remains an ‘imbalance of power’ which acts to their detriment in dealing with lawyers. So says the first consumer impact report by watchdog the Legal Services Consumer Panel, published today. ...
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Fast-track for second reading of legal aid and sentencing bill condemned
Lawyers and MPs have expressed outrage at the government’s attempt to fast track the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill through Parliament. Following the first reading of the bill on Tuesday 21 June, it was confirmed this week that the second reading will be ...
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British businesses buried by European legal avalanche
Businesses are struggling to keep abreast of the hundreds of new laws published last year by the European Union. Legal information provider Sweet & Maxwell says 806 new laws impacting the UK were created in 2010. The majority of those were made ...
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Firms failing on client needs, study reports
Law firms are failing to understand their clients’ needs, creating a significant expectations gap, a study has found. DLA Piper joint chief executive Sir Nigel Knowles said the findings should serve as a ‘call to arms’ to practices to improve in this regard. ...
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Government set to press ahead with legal aid cuts and Jackson reforms
The Law Society and legal profession this week vowed to continue campaigning against the government’s legal aid cuts, following publication of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill by justice secretary Kenneth Clarke. The bill, issued as the Gazette went to press, confirmed the ...
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Mental health
Persons who lack capacity – Deprivation of liberty – Mental Capacity Act Hillingdon London Borough Council v Neary and others: (Court of Protection) Mr Justice Jackson: 9 June 2011 The ...