All Letters articles – Page 50

  • Opinion

    Speedier ABS processing

    15 July 2013

    In response to Adam Entwistle's letter which was critical of the time taken by the SRA to process an ABS licensing application, I would like to reassure potential applicants that this has speeded up significantly since we introduced changes earlier this year. We listened to the profession, and took into ...

  • Opinion

    Probate pitfalls

    08 July 2013

    The Law Society’s advertising campaign on behalf of personal injury practitioners is to be applauded. But private client practitioners have long had their own battle with corporate providers of probate services, which include most high street banks. The public is frequently misled and overcharged because they do not go to ...

  • Opinion

    Time for a ‘sub-profession’ in the law?

    08 July 2013

    The article about interventions in last week’s Gazette, which included a description of the consequences and cost of the collapse of Blakemores, should have us all worried for the future of our profession. It is clear now that our leaders were mistaken when they allowed first advertising and later referral ...

  • Opinion

    Let us record proceedings

    01 July 2013

    Having just spent another couple of days frantically scribbling notes of the evidence being given and the judgment, I am again at a loss to understand why the lawyers involved in proceedings are not allowed to record them electronically. It is quite ridiculous that we should have to make a ...

  • Opinion

    Farming out

    01 July 2013

    I recently received a letter from the Law Society inviting me to have a meeting to explore methods of ‘farming’ existing business. Is this an indication of the depth to which the profession has sunk? Harold Immanuel, London W6

  • Opinion

    Duty freedom

    01 July 2013

    I write with reference to the letter from Alexander McCulloch. It is incorrect to claim, as he does, that the current system deprives any person charged with a criminal offence of the ability to choose their own solicitor. The duty solicitor scheme certainly forwards a client to whoever is on ...

  • Opinion

    Don’t give up on mediation

    01 July 2013

    In his letter of 17 June, Michael Haran related a bad experience with what may have been a small claims telephone mediation provided by the county court. I have great sympathy with him. But he should not compare this cheap and cheerful type of mediation, which incidentally does have a ...

  • Opinion

    Client choice

    01 July 2013

    No, Mr McCulloch. Manchester set up a voluntary court duty solicitor scheme at about the same time as Southampton. Birmingham came soon afterwards, building in particular on the Manchester template. I know this because I was involved. We then expanded it to include a police station scheme, and all of ...

  • Opinion

    Lib Dems fighting legal aid cuts

    01 July 2013

    I was very disappointed to read about Ian Craine’s experience of trying to discuss proposed changes to legal aid with Liberal Democrat MPs. May I assure him that the Liberal Democrat Lawyers Association is lobbying hard over these proposals to try and persuade our MPs that they are misguided. So ...

  • News

    Centre 70 volunteers

    01 July 2013

    Some years ago the Gazette kindly printed a letter from me about Centre 70, which provides free advice on housing, benefits, debt and other issues, serving a wide area of south London. As a result we recruited someone to join our team of volunteer lawyers who provide free legal advice ...

  • Opinion

    Tilting the scales of justice in favour of the relatively disadvantaged

    1998-06-28T00:00:00Z

    We have seen huge cuts in public funding for many areas of law, particularly family; fees introduced for employment tribunal cases; and we await the impact of substantial changes and cuts to criminal legal aid. No one appears to have carried out a proper exercise and costing regarding the long-term ...

  • Opinion

    Trade deal downside

    1998-06-28T00:00:00Z

    The article entitled Trading Places concerning the US-EU transatlantic free trade agreement, omitted to mention the huge democratic implications of this agreement. Ordinary people will experience the ‘reduction in trade barriers’ and ‘regulatory harmonisation’ as a reduction of protections in a range of areas, including in the environmental and labour ...