Last 3 months headlines – Page 1384
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London solicitor criticises 'absurd' situation over conditional fee agreement
A London solicitor could be left tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket after a judge ruled that the funding agreement under which he accepted a case was unenforceable. Joe Golstein, at the time sole principal at Arbeid & Golstein, took on a clinical negligence ...
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One in two children in care 'don't trust the courts'
Half of the children in care do not trust the court to make the right decision about their lives, according to a report by Children’s Rights director Roger Morgan, published by Ofsted. Of 58 children interviewed, 50% thought courts never or do not usually make the ...
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Justice system delays endemic, research shows
Law Society research submitted to the government last week has identified a ‘lack of communication’ pervading the justice system that is causing delays throughout the process. The survey of 245 individuals in the justice system, including 172 defence solicitors and 55 prosecutors, showed that respondents attributed ...
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APIL chief urges government to give RTA portal a chance
The road traffic accident claims portal should be ‘given a chance’ before the government rushes to implement the Jackson civil justice reforms, the president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers warned last week. Muiris Lyons said that the RTA claims process, which was implemented on ...
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How a lawyer can change their specialist practice area
It is a common observation among middle-aged lawyers that the increasing need to specialise very early in a legal career has changed the face of the profession. Time spent in a more general or rounded practice has been much reduced, leading to a situation where lawyers are making key decisions ...
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Stick to the law
With the Jackson Review demonstrates once again is that members of the judiciary should never be asked to advise on anything to do with costs or funding. Judges notoriously know nothing about either. Eminent though he is as a lawyer, it is apparent from Lord Justice ...
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Filing complaints
I recently had the misfortune to have dealings with the supreme legal quango, the Legal Ombudsman. What is so concerning about this organisation’s approach to handling complaints is how it applies one rule for us and a different rule for itself. Rather than, for example, ...
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Look who’s talking
I was astonished to read the comments of Sadiq Khan MP, shadow justice secretary, in which he described the government’s proposed legal aid cuts as ‘irresponsible and inequitable’. I have no recollection of Mr Khan expressing his concerns about the cuts introduced by his own ...
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Cuts cost money
Many of the Law Society’s suggestions would not achieve savings, but create further cost, something we all need to avoid. The suggestion that prosecutors should meet the cost of acquittals, instead of central funds, simply passes cost from one area of public expenditure to another ...
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Bridging the cultural gap between lawyers and clients
My business partner Tania Jeffery and I recently opened a new practice in Hampshire and our mission statement echoes the points raised by Law Society president Linda Lee in her article ‘Listening to our customers'.
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Complaints clinic: Legal Ombudsman
A new monthly column featuring practical advice and case studies from chief ombudsman Adam Sampson and his team At last, just before Christmas, the Legal Ombudsman cranked properly into business. ...
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Study to examine oversupply of LPC graduates
An in-depth study into education and training within the profession will address the current ‘mismatch’ between the number of Legal Practice Course graduates and training contracts, and will assess the role of paralegals, the Legal Services Board has said.
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News
Stick to the law
What the Jackson Review demonstrates once again is that members of the judiciary should never be asked to advise on anything to do with costs or funding. Judges notoriously know nothing about either. Eminent though he is as a lawyer, it is apparent from ...
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News
Oversupply of lawyers to drive down costs, says Green
The oversupply of qualified lawyers denied entry to the profession has led to a ‘burgeoning body of paralegals’ that will have a profound effect on solicitors and barristers, former bar chairman Nick Green QC said last week. At a conference on legal education in London last ...
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Separating couples to be forced to consider mediation option
From April separating couples will be required to consider whether their disputes can be settled by mediation rather than through the courts, justice minister Jonathan Djanogly announced today. Under a new protocol, agreed with the judiciary, all parties will be required to attend a mediation awareness ...
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First law firms accredited under Conveyancing Quality Scheme
The first law firms to be awarded the Law Society’s new quality mark for conveyancing practices were announced last week, with 385 firms having applied for the scheme so far. Colchester firm Martin Elliott & Co, Kent firm Boys & Maughan, Hull firm Hamers and London ...
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Law firm mergers – the right partner
Who led the battle for your affections this Valentine’s Day? Your spouse? Your partner? An other? With relationships front of mind this month, it’s perhaps no bad time for law firms to consider their own ‘perfect partner’. As ...
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Family justice system is failing vulnerable children in care
A report published this week revealed that half of the children in care do not trust the court to make the right decision about their lives. The report, written for Ofsted by Children’s Rights director Roger Morgan, showed that of 58 children interviewed, 50% though the ...
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Djanogly defends impact of legal aid cuts on voluntary sector
The government is ignoring its own research on peoples’ need for free legal advice as it plans to cut legal aid, the House of Commons heard last week. Anas Sarwar, Labour MP for Glasgow Central, said that the government’s planned funding cuts, which will impact law ...
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Jackson reforms fail to account for RTA progress
The road traffic accident claims portal should be ‘given a chance’ before the government becomes distracted from the ‘bigger picture' by rushing to implement the Jackson reforms, the president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers warned last week. Muiris Lyons told an audience at APIL’s ...