Last 3 months headlines – Page 1388
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Lawyers must embrace case management reforms, says Jackson
Lord Justice Jackson has stressed that lawyers need to embrace his proposed reforms of case management if the necessary ‘culture change’ he envisages is to be realised. The architect of the government’s reform of civil litigation hopes that by securing the co-operation of the Law ...
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New accreditation scheme for licensed conveyancers
The Society of Licensed Conveyancers (SLC) has unveiled a quality assurance scheme, designed to ensure its members get places on mortgage lenders’ conveyancing panels at a time when these are being trimmed back. The new scheme combines the governance of the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, ...
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Troika forces ABSs on Italy
Just as with the Second World War, so the current economic crisis - which Chancellor Merkel says is Europe’s most challenging period since the war - had its phoney period, which has now ended. For a long while, nothing seemed to happen, and no consequences were felt. But, from a ...
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SRA to phase in online PC renewals
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to phase in its new online practising certificate registration and renewal system, following delays caused by implementation problems. Selected firms will begin using the new system this week, after the regulator decided that it does not plan to revert to paper-based renewals for 2011/12. A ...
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Would judges jump in the hot-tub?
In his most recent lecture on the implementation aspects of his Final Report, Lord Justice Jackson turned the spotlight on the costs associated with expert witnesses. Particularly interesting were his comments in relation to the ‘concurrent evidence procedure’, or ‘hot-tubbing’, as it is wryly termed by lawyers.
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A worrying precedent
The Court of Appeal will soon be asked to decide how far an employer has to go in order to comply with its duty to inform an employee that they have a legal right. The case of R v R Plant Hire (Peterborough) Ltd v Bailey has worrying implications for ...
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First Bribery Act sentence ‘sends powerful message’
The East London court officer who faced the first prosecution under the 2010 Bribery Act has been sentenced to six years in prison. Munir Yakub Patel was jailed for six years for misconduct in a public office, to be served concurrently with a three-year sentence for ...
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Bank reveals £5m litigation funding outlay
International bank Investec has revealed it has lent around £5m this year to legal clients pursuing commercial litigation. The bank started a pilot of the scheme eight months ago and claims it is the first to offer specialist finance to pursue a civil claim in court. ...
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UK is top dog in Strasbourg
It is sweetly ironic that our Europhobic coalition government is in power at a time when the country holds two of the top positions at that bogeyman of the Tory shires - the Council of Europe (CoE) in Strasbourg, whose role it is to oversee the European Court of Human ...
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Is the government’s preference for ‘industry-led’ solutions tipping the scales in insurers' favour?
The relationship between the insurance industry and government has hit the headlines in recent weeks, with justice minister Jonathan Djanogly facing claims that his personal insurance investments could lead him to profit from the government’s own legislation implementing the Jackson reforms. The minister pointed out that he published the investments ...
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Summary Judgment
Solicitor - Undertaking - Claimant company seeking to finance purchase of ship Global Marine Drillships Ltd v Landmark Solicitors LLP and others: Chancery Division (Mr Justice Henderson): 24 October 2011 ...
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Damage limitation
In Co-operative Group (CWS) Ltd v Pritchard [2011] EWCA Civ 329, [2011] All ER(D) 312 (Mar), the Court of Appeal considered whether contributory negligence could be raised as a defence to a claim for damages for the torts of assault and battery.
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Bankruptcy
Trustee in bankruptcy - Costs - Claimant trustee in bankruptcy commencing proceedings on behalf of estate Hunt (as trustee in bankruptcy of Janan George Harb) v Harb and another: Court of Appeal, Civil Division (Lord Neuberger, Lords Justice ...
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Ex-Minster Law chief unveils claims.com
A Leeds-based claims management company which paid a seven-figure sum for its web address opens for business this week, with a strategy that includes buying its own law firm and becoming an alternative business structure. Chief executive Matthew Briggs, who formerly led the Yorkshire personal injury ...
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Alcoholism in profession ‘underestimated’
Widely publicised research findings that 15-24% of lawyers will suffer from alcoholism during their careers may underestimate the problem, the legal health support charity LawCare said this week. Among senior solicitors the figure is nearly one in three, a spokeswoman told the Gazette.