Last 3 months headlines – Page 1375
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LSC and Law Society fail to agree on civil contracts compensation
Firms that incurred losses after the High Court quashed the Legal Services Commission’s family tender last year will not receive compensation from the LSC, the Law Society announced today. Chancery Lane said it had been trying to negotiate a settlement arrangement with the LSC since last ...
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Maintaining your independence
With the current appetite for national rebranding and an increase in ‘opportunities’ for franchising, many law firms are considering their options. Is it better to invest in your own destiny or join a national brand or franchise for the same sort of investment? Whilst there can ...
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Weightmans and Mace & Jones to merge
National firm Weightmans and north-west firm Mace & Jones will merge on 1 May to create a £75m-revenue, 1,000-employee business, the firms announced today. The news follows Weightmans’ recent announcement that it will acquire the full 13-partner insurance team from south-east firm Vizards Wyeth on 1 ...
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Pressure prompts review of ‘domestic violence’ legal aid definition
The government has delayed its plans to respond to the legal aid and civil costs consultations until after Easter, and will ‘review’ the definition of domestic violence, the legal aid minister said last week. Jonathan Djanogly had previously said the government would respond before Easter, but ...
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Pressure prompts review of ‘domestic violence’ legal aid definition
The government has delayed its plans to respond to the legal aid and civil costs consultations until after Easter, and will ‘review’ the definition of domestic violence, the legal aid minister said last week. Jonathan Djanogly had previously said the government would respond before Easter, but ...
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Outcomes-focused regulation: the emperor’s new clothes?
In just a few weeks the new Solicitors Regulation Authority Handbook will be released and in less than eight months the new regulatory regime comes into force. Many law firms, and alternative business structures, are only just beginning to consider what outcomes-focused regulation will really mean for their daily practices. ...
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What is that spell again, Hermione?
Never has the European Commission had more need of magic. It has become the Harry Potter figure, waving its wand desperately, trying to fight off death eaters and dementors (I have a few nominees for representatives of these groups, beginning with the hysterically anti-EU columnists in certain UK newspapers). In ...
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Aptitude tests would be a positive step for BPTC and LPC students
Young people worried about the current oversupply of Legal Practice Course graduates will no doubt be looking with interest at how the bar’s regulator is seeking to address a similar issue in its own branch of the profession. Earlier today, the Bar Standards Board announced a new timetable for its ...
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Court strikes out filesharing actions
The Patents County Court struck out 27 alleged unlawful filesharing actions brought by London firm ACS:Law on behalf of its clients Media CAT yesterday. His Honour Judge Birss is now considering how much ACS:Law and Media CAT should pay in wasted costs, after accepting the submission ...
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Law firms will need to get better at collaboration
There are many indications that the legal economy will continue to face a difficult year, with many managing partners predicting stagnation or worse. The picture from general counsel and heads of legal confirms this picture – their budgets show no increase is planned, and that some of that spend will ...
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Televise Supreme and Appeal Court hearings, says Neuberger
Some court hearings should be televised to increase public confidence in the justice system, the master of the rolls said this week. Giving the Judicial Studies Board annual lecture, Lord Neuberger suggested Supreme Court hearings and some Court of Appeal hearings should be televised on an ...
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Government publishes Defamation Bill
The Law Society has welcomed the debate over libel law reform following publication of the government’s draft Defamation Bill today. The bill, which is intended to bring libel law up-to-date, includes a new ‘public interest’ defence, and introduces the requirement for claimants to demonstrate ‘substantial ...
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Family law
Civil evidence – Local government – Care proceedings H v City & County Of Swansea & Ors: CA (Civ Div) (Lady Justice Arden, Lords Justices Black, Richards): 2 March 2011 ...
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Immigration
Administrative law – Asylum seekers – Judicial review R (on the application Of MN (Tanzania)) v Secretary of State for the Home Department: CA (Civ Div) (Lords Justices Kay, Moses, Sullivan): 4 March 2011 ...
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UK Border Agency and proposals to change immigration rules
On 16 February, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) released a Statement of Intent detailing proposals to change the eligibility criteria for the Points-Based System (PBS) Tier 2 migrants and the operation of permanent limits on certain Tier 2 applications. Additionally proposals to change the criteria ...
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No escaping justice
When judges are in the news, it is normally because of some judicial pronouncement that has failed to find favour in certain quarters. So Obiter was stunned last week to learn of two judges thrust into the limelight because of a rather more animated set of events in the courtroom. ...
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Polishing the angels
When I tell people I am writing about organised crime down under, they often say ‘I didn’t know there was any’, writes James Morton. Oh, but there is. A big gangland war in Melbourne is coming to an end, mainly because there is only one man left standing. In the ...
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Damned statistics
Hard-pressed Obiter knows what it’s like to be busy-busy-busy, so has full sympathy for the Ministry of Justice’s 31 press office staff, none of whom quite had the time to spread news of the 2010 civil service staff survey results when they were made ‘public’ at the end of January. ...
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Giving a toss
Staff at Keelys in Lichfield will stop at nothing to get a mention in Obiter, even if it means dressing up as Snow White and the (three) dwarves and taking part in the annual Lichfield pancake race. Those lawyers have some flipping nerve.
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Grown-up debate on mediation
Mediation is not an alternative to litigation, though it has a place in the whole process. Mediators make all sorts of claims for mediation – that it is cheaper, quicker and better than litigation. Where is the research evidence for this? Collaborative ...