Last 3 months headlines – Page 1355
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PM’s ‘summit’ on whiplash excludes legal profession
Prime Minister David Cameron has been accused of sidelining the legal profession in talks about dealing with whiplash cases. Cameron met with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and leading insurance firms on Tuesday for a much-publicised ‘summit’ over the rising cost of car insurance. ...
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Senior judge savages advocacy accreditation scheme
A senior judge has ridiculed the ‘steely gaze of the judicial viper’ that sits at the centre of the new ratings scheme for advocates. He called instead for ‘academies of advocacy’ in which judges, barristers and solicitors ‘enliven and encourage’ one another.
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'Big conversation' needed on social networking
A US judge denied a lawyer continuance of trial after the latter’s Facebook entry revealed he was absent from court because he was out partying and had not suffered a bereavement as claimed, an International Bar Association (IBA) report on social networking recounts. Elsewhere, the Supreme ...
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Mesothelioma ruling opens way to higher payouts for elderly
Elderly victims of mesothelioma could be entitled to substantial compensation, following a landmark ruling on damages for pain and suffering. In the High Court last week Mrs Justice Swift awarded 92-year-old Dennis Ball £50,000 compensation for pain and suffering after he developed asbestos-related cancer following his ...
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If mediation can cure the system, why is it still voluntary?
Imagine taking a mediator out for dinner. They’d sit there weighing up every option, hearing the waiter argue the merits of the salmon and the steak, before deciding to have a little of both (and possibly doubling the bill). I’d be on my second bottle before ...
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County court shake-up plans dubbed a ‘missed opportunity’
The government has come under fire from all sides of the civil litigation spectrum over its plans to reform the county court system. The Ministry of Justice last week confirmed plans to raise the limit of small claims through the county court system to £10,000 and ...
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Lawyers and Leveson – how are they doing?
A history of phone hacking and the current Leveson enquiry into the culture, practice and ethics of the press through the activities of lawyers alone is intriguing. I am a Leveson addict, and a long-time watcher of lawyers, and so it is a natural combination. I undertook an analysis some ...
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PC renewal deadline extended as SRA struggles
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has extended the deadline for practising certificate renewal to the end of February for all solicitors. The first renewals were due to be completed by Monday but delays caused by the new online mySRA system meant many solicitors had not been able ...
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Scots join outcry against HSBC panel
The Law Society of Scotland has called on lender HSBC to suspend its new conveyancing panel system, which it claims will cause chaos for hundreds of property transactions north of the border. The Society said only ‘a handful’ of law firms in Scotland are among ...
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Profits up in Scotland but small firms struggle
The Law Society of Scotland's annual Cost of Time survey has reported the first rise in profitability for law firms north of the border since 2008. Average profit per partner at Scottish firms totalled £71,000 in 2011, on a par with 2004 but well below the highs of 2005-08. ...
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Contingency plan
Reaction to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill (LASPO) has primarily focused on the reduction in availability of legal aid and the proposed ban on referral fees in personal injury cases. Surprisingly little attention has to date attached to clause 44 of LASPO, which will enable contingency ...
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Media is permeating the judicial process
The Supreme Court seems to have settled down well at its new home in Parliament Square. In the main courtroom, frosted glass has been installed on the doors behind the judicial bench so that spectators can no longer gaze into one of the judges’ rooms. The judges’ microphones are now ...
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Arbitration
Award - Enforcement - Parties disputing responsibility for collision during voyage charter West Tankers Inc v Allianz Spa and another: CA (Civ Div) (Lord Justices Carnwath, Lloyd and Toulson): 24 January 2012 ...
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The Rolls Building, London's trump card
London has long been regarded as one of the most popular venues for resolving international disputes, but the government - and the legal profession - hope that the opening of the Rolls Building as the world’s biggest commercial court will help cement the UK’s reputation as the key jurisdiction in ...
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Environment
Electricity - Supply - Feed-in tariff - Secretary of state proposing reduction in feed-in tariff for electricity produced by small solar panels R (on the application of Friends of the Earth Ltd) v Secretary of State for Energy and ...
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We share your frustration
Darren Isaacs is wrong to say there has been a marked increase in the past six months in the level of bills we are rejecting. The level of rejects has remained relatively constant.