Last 3 months headlines – Page 1348
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Online costs help for legal aid lawyers
An innovative IT project aimed at legal aid lawyers could help solicitors reduce costs, barristers set Matrix Chambers claimed last week. The chambers has set up LegalAidLink (LAL), a website enabling legal aid providers to establish private online communities in which they can interact securely and ...
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Televised courts arguments can be disingenuous
One factor will surely trump all others in the nuanced debate over whether broadcasters should be allowed to televise civil and criminal court proceedings. What Rupert Murdoch wants, government ministers of all stripes (Vince Cable excepted, it would seem) fall over themselves to give him. ...
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Human Rights laws stand before May's calls to stop student radicalisation
by Julian Gizzi, a partner in Beachcroft’s public sector group Home secretary Theresa May has said this week that universities need to be more active in preventing the radicalisation of their students by extremist Islamic groups.
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Government seeks views on stripping back Equalities Act
The government has today begun the process of stripping back unwanted elements of the Equalities Act. The Home Office claims that last year’s legislation scrapped 100 sets of regulations in an effort to lighten the burden of red tape on businesses. But ...
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The funding solution
Sound financial management has become a key issue for law firms as for the first time banks are closely scrutinising lending to these legal companies and implementing new credit policies. It is worth looking at how law firms can effectively demonstrate their financial acumen in ...
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Nine non-solicitors to join and vote on Scottish law society council
The Law Society of Scotland has appointed nine new non-solicitor members to its council, to comply with new legislation. They have full voting rights and will replace the current three lay observers. The new appointees come from a diverse range of backgrounds ...
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Lawyers charging consumers for complaints - research
Lawyers are failing to advise consumers how to go about making complaints and in some cases are charging people for complaining, research by the Legal Services Board (LSB) has found. A survey of dissatisfied legal customers by YouGov revealed more than half were never told about ...
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Clarke rules out further raid on legal aid pot
Kenneth Clarke today ruled out further legal aid cuts in addition to those already signalled, following the apparent u-turn earlier this week over his proposed sentencing reforms. Speaking to the Law Society’s Junior Lawyers Division today, the justice secretary confirmed that ‘the flurry of nonsense’ in ...
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Ranks of corporate counsel swell as work retained in-house
More than one in 10 City lawyers are now working in-house as law firms face an increasing squeeze from the commercial sector, according to research by a recruitment consultancy. Between 2000 and 2010, the number of solicitors in commercial organisations and financial institutions rose by 140%, ...
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Developments in e-disclosure shaping the ways lawyers review evidence
Interviewed for a job once, one of us was asked to describe the essence of a piece of litigation. After offering a glib answer along the lines of the importance of the ability to read the future and people’s minds, the interviewer’s understanding impressed: ...
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Extremism, universities and the law
This week home secretary Theresa May made headlines when she accused UK universities of ‘complacency’ on extremism. ‘I don't think they have been sufficiently willing to recognise what can be happening on their campuses and the radicalisation that can take place,’ May argued, as she ...
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Sentencing discount u-turn sparks fears of deeper legal aid cuts
Fears that the government may be planning to implement even deeper cuts to legal aid than it has already signalled rose significantly today. Prime minister David Cameron is widely reported to have shelved key parts of justice secretary Kenneth Clarke’s plan to give offenders a ...
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What’s behind the delay in publishing the Justice Bill?
So when is the government going to publish its Justice Bill, containing the legal aid reforms, Jackson proposals on civil litigation funding and sentencing reforms? This is the question to which everyone wants an answer. Speculation on the date has been ...
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Half of accident victims do not claim
The UK may not have the ‘compensation culture’ that so many commentators claim, new research has suggested. A study conducted by the website personalinjurylawyers.co.uk has found that almost half of respondents who had been the victim of an accident never went on to claim compensation. ...
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Firms' duties in a tough economy
There is a fine line between being a harbinger of doom and a realist. Being objective, however, the signs are not good. It is undoubtedly the case that insolvency practitioners are becoming increasingly busy preparing reports on law firms for their creditor banks. ...
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Clients remain reluctant to pre-empt problems using simple legal advice
My Saturday paper had a feature recently on how to avoid problems with your builder. One suggestion was if you have a contract worth over £8,000 then get a solicitor to look over it first before you sign anything. It ...
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Clifford Chance announces pay increases
Magic Circle firm Clifford Chance has announced salary increases for its senior lawyers, but a pay freeze for trainees and newly-qualified solicitors. The Canary Wharf-based firm will pay lawyers with three years’ experience a salary of £85,500, up by £1,000 on last year. ...
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Co-op offers legal services through bank branches
The Co-operative has this week become the first high street bank to offer legal advice to its customers. The Co-operative Group, the UK's largest mutual business, has begun a pilot scheme to deliver legal advice through three Bristol-based branches of Britannia. The ...
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Legal expenses insurers win a point
It is one up to the legal expenses insurers this week in the ongoing ding-dong over the extent of the insured person’s right to choose a lawyer.
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Lawyers seek deal with insurers over freedom to choose non-panel firms
The Law Society’s civil justice committee is in negotiations with legal expenses insurers to agree rules that will ensure freedom of choice of solicitor in personal injury claims. The committee has held two meetings with insurers in a bid to agree terms enabling clients to choose ...