Last 3 months headlines – Page 1346
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Treasury to scrap money-laundering penalties
The Treasury is to abolish more than 24 criminal penalties that can currently be imposed on law firms and other businesses for failing to comply with money-laundering regulations. Civil penalties will remain however, and regulators may be given the power to impose additional penalties. ...
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Magistrates resign as courts close
Resignations from the magistracy have increased by 18% since the announcement of court closures, according to government figures. Responding to a written question tabled by Mike Wood, MP for Batley and Spen in West Yorkshire, justice minister Jonathan Djanogly revealed that 487 magistrates had resigned from ...
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Law Society in position to cut practising certificate fee
Next year’s practising certificate fee could be cut by more than 15% following a £56.9m surplus reported by the Law Society in its annual report 2009/10, published today (15 June). The four factors behind the surplus include higher than expected receipts from the first year ...
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Split juries into smaller groups, psychologists argue
Juries should be split into three groups of four to allow every member an equal chance to participate, a new study has suggested. Researchers from the psychology department at the University of Portsmouth found that in large groups, many people feel intimidated to speak out and ...
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Bruising times at the UKBA
You have to be something of a bruiser to take on the job of minister for borders and immigration. It’s a tough job, with the right accusing you of going soft on ‘bogus’ asylum seekers and the left condemning you as a heartless fascist (more of ...
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The right to a lawyer – many times over
Like London buses, issues do not come singly but in clusters. The right to a lawyer is one of those that is arriving in many different forms all at once at the moment. Last week, I wrote about a recent ...
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Solicitors launch new third-party litigation funder
Two solicitors launched a new third-party litigation funder Vannin Capital today, set to invest ‘significant sums’ in litigation. The funder, founded by solicitor Nick Rowles-Davies and solicitor and barrister William Evans of Ely Place Chambers, is backed by Isle of Man-based private equity firm Bramden Investments. ...
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Society to intervene in recoupment appeal
The Law Society has been given permission to intervene in the Legal Services Commission’s appeal against a ruling that the LSC’s action to recover payments on account was an abuse of process due to the delay in bringing the claims.
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£20,000 law firm donation kickstarts head injury fund
A fund for families of people with head injuries has been kick-started by a £20,000 grant from a litigation law firm. The long-established Stewarts Law Foundation, a charity fund founded by the firm’s partners, donated the money to the Headway Emergency Fund earlier this month. ...
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New CLLS chair vows to uphold English law ‘brand’
The new head of City of London Law Society (CLLS) has vowed to uphold the English ‘brand’, already so prominent throughout the world. Alasdair Douglas has been confirmed as the new CLLS chair, representing law firms that employ 14,000 solicitors and have an annual turnover of ...
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Judges should not sit in judgment over advocates
I had a turbulent seven-year relationship with my old English teacher. He had a pompous air of superiority, talking to pupils like Mr Bumble addressing the orphans and wistfully dreaming of the university professorship he surely craved but never achieved. Worst of ...
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Immigration
Anonymity - Asylum seekers - Deportation - Detention Shepherd Masimba Kambadzi v Secretary of State for the Home Department: SC (Lord Hope (Deputy President), Lords Rodger, Brown, Kerr, Lady Hale): 25 May 2011 ...
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Criminal evidence
Criminal procedure - Criminal appeals - Fresh evidence - Identification R v George Davis: CA (Crim Div): (Lord Justices Hughes (Vice-President), Henriques, Macur): 24 May 2011 The appellant (D) appealed ...
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Civil procedure
Conflict of laws - Jurisdiction - Stay of proceedings Striborg Ltd v (1) FKI Engineering Ltd (2) FKI Ltd: CA (Civ Div): (Lord Justices Mummery, Rix, Wilson): 25 May 2011 ...
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Criminal procedure
Criminal evidence - Human rights - Scottish devolution issues - Miscarriage of justice Stephanie Baker (Respondent) v (1) Nat Gordon Fraser v HM Advocate: SC (Lords Hope (Deputy President), Rodger, Brown, Kerr, Dyson): 25 May 2011 ...
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Administrative law
Employment - Local government - Social welfare - Children’s services R (on the application of Sharon Shoesmith) v Ofsted and Ors: CA (Civ Div): (Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury MR, Lord Justices Kay, Burnton): 27 May 2011 ...
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Law firms and retirement
Until 6 April, law firms could safely give notice to ‘retire’ employed staff at 65 under the default retirement age (DRA) exemption. Provided they followed the correct statutory retirement process, the retirement would be ‘fair’ with no age-discrimination risk. Indeed, ...
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Tackling dishonesty among legal partners
Dishonesty among partners has recently hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. While such dishonesty is by no means rife, it is important to acknowledge that it can happen, especially as practices are increasingly coming under financial pressure. That ...
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Proportionate orders for sale
In a previous column (see ‘Charging to the front of the queue’), I pointed out that the scope for the court to refuse a creditor a charging order over a debtor’s property was more limited than many debtors would wish. What of the enforcement ...
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SRA has been engaging with legal profession in preparation for OFR
Since the beginning of May, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has been visiting towns and cities across England and Wales to meet solicitors to talk about the SRA Handbook and outcomes-focused regulation (OFR), our new approach to regulation which starts on 6 October. By 16 June, ...