Last 3 months headlines – Page 1352

  • News

    Would a US-EU trade deal be good for lawyers?

    2011-11-25T00:00:00Z

    I have written before about how the current economic crisis is leading to a radical rethinking of structures that impact on lawyers. Here is another initiative which could lead to significant consequences in years to come.

  • News

    Human rights come home

    2011-11-25T00:00:00Z

    You don’t expect good news to come out of the scandal of elderly people suffering abuse at the hands of their carers. Where’s the good news in the indignity of an elderly woman left stuck on the toilet because everyone was too busy to assist her? And how can good ...

  • News

    Brooke gets double in PI awards

    2011-11-25T00:00:00Z

    Retired judge Sir Henry Brooke (pictured) won a double honour at the Personal Injury Awards last night. Brooke received the Lifetime Achievement Award to mark his 40-year career in law, as well as being named mediator of the year. Phil Shiner, from Public Interest Lawyers, ...

  • News

    Does a VAT approach to pricing client services erode trust?

    2011-11-25T00:00:00Z

    We all love to moan about budget airlines and their deceptive online pricing strategies for adding taxes, fees and charges. They are no longer allowed to keep taxes as an unpleasant surprise until the last moment when you are about to enter your credit ...

  • News

    SRA will license ABSs by the end of 2011

    2011-11-25T00:00:00Z

    The statutory barrier to the Solicitors Regulation Authority gaining a licence to authorise alternative business structures has been lifted. A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Justice told the Gazette: ‘We expect the Solicitors Regulation Authority to become a licensing authority by the end of this year. ...

  • News

    Landlord and tenant

    2011-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Lease - Duration - Certainty Mexfield Housing Co-operative Ltd v Berrisford: Supreme Court (Lords Hope DP, Walker, Mance, Neuberger, Clarke and Dyson, Lady Hale): 9 November 2011 The Supreme ...

  • News

    Trademark

    2011-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Infringement - Use of similar trademark - Defendant selling angling paraphernalia through websites Fox International Group Ltd v Folly: Patents County Court (Judge Birss QC sitting as a judge of the Patents County Court): 1 November 2011 ...

  • News

    Costs

    2011-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Employment tribunal - Unreasonable conduct of proceedings Yerrakalva v Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council: Court of Appeal, Civil Division (Lords Justice Mummery, Patten and Sir Henry Brooke): 3 November 2011 The ...

  • News

    Conflicting messages on asylum

    2011-11-24T00:00:00Z

    A recent test case involving a former Afghanistan interpreter working for the British army in Helmand province has raised important questions about the decision to prosecute for passport offences and claims for asylum.

  • News

    Costs

    2011-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Practice - Pre-trial or post-judgment relief - Freezing order JSC BTA Bank v Solodchenko and others: Court of Appeal, Civil Division (Lord Neuberger, Lords Justice Carnwath and Jackson): 28 October 2011 ...

  • News

    Pre-litigation offers and part 36

    2011-11-24T00:00:00Z

    How should pre-litigation offers to settle be treated in the light of part 36 of the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) and Trustees of Stokes Pension Fund v Western Power Distribution Power Distribution (South West) plc [2005] EWCA Civ 854, [2005] 1 WLR 3595 (Stokes)? This was the question before Lord ...

  • News

    Unsafe conviction

    2011-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Juror - Bias - Defendants conceiving of idea for ‘Lapland New Forest’ attraction R v Mears and another: CA (Crim Div) (Lord Justice Moore-Bick, Mr Justice Butterfield, Mr Justice Irwin): 10 November 2011 ...

  • News

    How far should the UK promote national interests?

    2011-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Keen followers of European affairs might have noticed that, though the UK’s influence over the EU might have been slipping during the play-out of the eurozone crisis, its influence has increased - for six months at least - over that other European body, the Council of Europe. That is because, ...

  • News

    Vicarious liability

    2011-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Roman Catholic church - Liability for tortious acts of priest GE v English Province of Our Lady of Charity and another: QB (Mr Justice Macduff): 8 November 2011 The claimant ...

  • News

    Is the so-called ‘forum bar’ really the panacea claimed by campaigners?

    2011-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Was the government’s recent extradition review one-sided? The highly experienced extradition solicitor Karen Todner complained in last week’s Gazette that the Scott Baker inquiry did not interview a single defence practitioner.

  • News

    Expert witnesses could challenge fees cap

    2011-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Expert witnesses in family courts are considering legal action over a new cap on experts’ fees in legally aided cases, which can be much lower for witnesses based in London than elsewhere. Dr Judith Freedman, convenor of the 500-strong Consortium of Expert Witnesses in the Family ...

  • News

    Court workers set for strike

    2011-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Record numbers of court workers will walk out as part of nationwide public sector strikes next Wednesday, union leaders have claimed. The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union says around 15,000 members employed by the Ministry of Justice - most working in the courts service ...

  • News

    Clarke outlines judicial diversity push

    2011-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Justice secretary Kenneth Clarke has unveiled proposals to improve the diversity of judicial appointments by extending flexible working arrangements to include High Court and Court of Appeal judges. The aim is to see more women appointed to senior judicial roles.

  • News

    Backlog drives up value of compensation claims

    2011-11-24T00:00:00Z

    The value of outstanding claims to the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s compensation fund has jumped by 27% in a year. Figures released by the SRA show the value of claims in progress was £214m at the end of October, compared with around £170m 12 months previously. ...

  • News

    HighStreetLawyer.com doubles in size

    2011-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Legal franchising brand HighStreetLawyer.com has doubled in size by signing up five new firms. The venture, launched in September last year, aims to have around 100 members by the end of 2012, founder Gary Yantin (pictured) told the Gazette.