Last 3 months headlines – Page 1352
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Would a US-EU trade deal be good for lawyers?
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.
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Human rights come home
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 ...
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Brooke gets double in PI awards
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, ...
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Does a VAT approach to pricing client services erode trust?
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 ...
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SRA will license ABSs by the end of 2011
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. ...
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Landlord and tenant
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 ...
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Conflicting messages on asylum
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.
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Pre-litigation offers and part 36
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 ...
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Unsafe conviction
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 ...
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How far should the UK promote national interests?
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, ...
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Vicarious liability
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 ...
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Is the so-called ‘forum bar’ really the panacea claimed by campaigners?
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.
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Expert witnesses could challenge fees cap
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 ...
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Court workers set for strike
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 ...
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Clarke outlines judicial diversity push
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.
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Backlog drives up value of compensation claims
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. ...
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HighStreetLawyer.com doubles in size
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.