All Obiter articles – Page 72
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News
Memory lane
The Law Society Gazette, 13 December 2007 Solicitor-advocates can don wigs from New Year Solicitor-advocates will be able to wear wigs in court from the New Year, the lord chief justice has announced. A practice direction will permit solicitors and other advocates to wear wigs in circumstances where they are ...
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Hungry years at Chancery Lane
New Zealand food parcels arrived at the Law Society more than once
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Bundle of joy in Court 19
An unexpectedly weighty matter was being heard in the Administrative Court last Friday - 6lbs, 8oz-worth.
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Slice of history
The government does not seem on course to ‘have its cake and eat it’, certainly over Brexit. Perhaps it could learn from the in-house lawyers at trade union Unison, who have had more success in this regard. Last week Obiter joined the great, good and peckish to ...
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Jury out on no-show excuses
I forget who it was who asked, ‘Who would want to be tried by 12 people who were so stupid they could not get off a jury?’. They have a point. There again – forget all that rubbish about civic duty – who would want to be tried by 12 ...
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Redgrave robbed
The paparazzi were poised, the red carpet had been rolled out and autograph hunters were waiting in anticipation. Actor and campaigner Vanessa Redgrave was billed as star of the show at the annual bar conference held in London on 4 November. OK, so the scene might not have been quite ...
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Porridge - Marmalade's off
A mystery is solved. A year ago we reported that the makers of the next Paddington Bear film were seeking a copy of the Gazette as ‘set dressing’. At the time, we speculated that our ursine friend might find himself needing legal advice on matters of immigration and asylum. We ...
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News
Memory lane
The Law Society Gazette, 15 November 2007 SRA issues warning on business models The Solicitors Regulation Authority last week urged solicitors to be ‘particularly cautious’ if approached about taking advantage of new business structures to be allowed under the Legal Services Act. The regulator said there could be conflict issues ...
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Card work
Is it too early to start thinking about Christmas? Anthony Wooding, senior and managing partner of Ipswich and Colchester firm Kerseys, has provided the perfect excuse to start feeling festive. Wooding has designed a Christmas card to help raise funds for Ipswich & Suffolk Council for Racial Equality, which is ...
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Late show
Plenty of people will have something to say about the government’s latest wheeze for piloting extended court hours. And HMCTS should be applauded for being so willing to meet those who will be working the later sittings. Officials have set up meetings in Newcastle, Manchester and London over the coming ...
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Going underground
Most of your colleagues will have a side project or hobby to help them stay sane when they leave the office. Few will go home and make their own coffin. But Sheffield solicitor John Jones is one such person. And he has applied his considerable skills to advising others how ...
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Receiving end of a real wigging
It is always dangerous for old fogies to dive in on today’s quarrels, so I will merely dip a toe. The subject is rude judges who undermine young advocates’ confidence to the extent they are reduced to tears and carry the memory with them for days or weeks. First, just ...
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Facing the (extremely) critical masses
Obiter was encouraged to learn that the ‘below-the-line’, ever feisty commentators on the Gazette’s website are not wasting their cyber-breath. In fact, their sometimes witty, often acerbic, musings on legal developments are being picked up far beyond the environs of 113 Chancery Lane. Bigwigs from the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the ...
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Minister of courts (tennis or law?)
Did you know there was a minister for sport and civil society? Neither did the president of the family division. Listing the alarming number of Whitehall departments responsible for children and families at a Howard League for Penal Reform event last week, Sir James Munby said a recent announcement of ...
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News
Memory lane
The Law Society Gazette, 1 November 2007 Bill given the green light The Legal Services Bill received Royal Assent this week after the government offered concessions on outstanding issues. The Ministry of Justice agreed to curtail the activities of trade unions that would be exempt from authorisation as alternative business ...
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Open-and-shut case
Delays in the courts system are nothing new. Indeed, it would probably be more newsworthy if a case actually ran to schedule. So there is a certain symmetry in the discovery that those administering the courts also have a poor track record when it comes to timekeeping. Sniffing out a ...