The Law Society Gazette, 10 March 2005

Solicitors’ funding victory

Civil legal aid solicitors have welcomed a government U-turn over plans to end public funding in claims against public authorities and financial proceedings in family cases. Announcing changes to the funding code last week, legal aid minister David Lammy said the government wanted to consult further.

12 March 1975

The taping of police interrogations

The Home Secretary recently announced he was setting up a committee to study the feasibility of a pilot project to tape-record police interrogations of suspects. Some civil liberty campaigners are sceptical about the use of tape recorders as indeed are the police themselves.

March 1955

In sober garments

When I was a young solicitor, dress was regarded as much more important than, unfortunately, is the case today. In the country you were expected to dress in sober garments befitting the part of a legal adviser, while in London you were expected to wear a frock coat and top hat. This is no longer so, but I cannot help thinking that nowadays too little regard is paid to dress. I know you are just as competent to advise your clients in plus fours or in one of those flowery waistcoats which I now see in shop windows, but think of the effect on the client. If you were to appear in court in such dress, you would no doubt hear a few pungent remarks from the county court judge and my advice to you is not to invite them.

March 1945

Limitation of actions

The Limitation (Enemies and War Prisoners) Bill suspends the statutory periods of limitation of actions so as to give relief to any party who has been an enemy as defined in the bill, or detained in enemy territory as a prisoner or war or otherwise.

The Council… expressed grave doubts to the government about the difficulties in determining when a person acquired enemy status for the purposes of the bill and when he lost it. The Council mentioned the possibility of prisoners of war being released by the Soviet armies in Poland, or by the American forces in the Pacific, taking a considerable time to return to this country and to learn of their rights.

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