Views sought on guideline hourly rates – Judiciary of England and Wales

Posted November 4th, 2013 in consultations, law firms, news, remuneration by sally

“The Costs Committee of the Civil Justice Council (CJC) has issued a call for evidence to assist it in making recommendations for Guideline Hourly Rates (GHR) for 2014.”

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Judiciary of England and Wales, 1st November 2013

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Lord chancellor faces legal aid court action – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 4th, 2013 in housing, judicial review, law firms, legal aid, news by sally

“A leading East Midlands firm is to take court action against the lord chancellor Chris Grayling over restrictions on its legal aid contract.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 3rd October 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Legal Services Board clarifies position on special bodies and ABS – Legal Services Board

“Legal Services Board clarifies its stance on licensing special bodies as alternative business structures (ABS).”

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Legal Services Board, 26th September 2013

Source: www.legalservicesboard.org.uk/

Less money, less justice? – LegalVoice

Posted September 26th, 2013 in criminal justice, law firms, legal aid, legal profession, news, remuneration by sally

“Blaming over-zealous police or irresponsible prosecutors for miscarriages of justice makes for a simple and straightforward narrative, writes Daniel Newman. As with most things, though, the reality is more complicated, and defence lawyers may also have a role to play. This being the case, the neat binary opposition we so rely on in criminal justice is somewhat obscured.”

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LegalVoice, 26th September 2013

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk

Transforming legal aid – why do the survey? – Legal Aid Handbook

Posted September 24th, 2013 in criminal justice, law firms, legal aid, news by sally

“Vicky Ling and Andrew Otterburn have been commissioned by the Law Society and MoJ to carry out a survey of firms to try to assess the impact that the government’s revised proposals will have on criminal defences practices.”

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Legal Aid Handbook, 23rd September 2013

Source: www.legalaidhandbook.com

Legal Aid’s Still On The Brink – Garden Court Chambers Blog

Posted September 17th, 2013 in civil justice, immigration, law firms, legal aid, news, prisons by sally

“Liz Davies, writing in the Morning Star on Saturday 14 September, delivers a grim warning about the future of legal aid.”

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Garden Court Chambers Blog, 17th September 2013

Source: www.gclaw.wordpress.com

ASA rejects complaints from unhappy client unable to post negative review on ratings website – Legal Futures

Posted September 13th, 2013 in advertising, complaints, law firms, news by tracey

“The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has rejected complaints that positive online reviews for a law firm were fake and that the website hosting them would not accept negative reviews.”

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Legal Futures, 13th September 2013

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Law firm shut down after top judge’s complaint over ‘untruthful’ asylum case – Daily Telegraph

“A law firm has been closed down after one of the country’s most senior judges asked regulators to investigate its last-minute bids to block the deportation of failed asylum seekers.”

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Daily Telegraph, 4th September 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Law graduates flock to paralegal roles – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted August 12th, 2013 in law firms, legal education, legal profession, news, paralegals by sally

“Law firms are receiving up to 100 applications for every paralegal vacancy as graduates become desperate for work and firms seek out lower staff costs.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 12th August 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Investigate law firm after ‘untruthful’ asylum case, says top judge – Daily Telegraph

“One of the country’s most senior judges has asked a legal regulator to consider striking off a law firm over its last-minute bids to block the deportation of failed asylum seekers.”

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Daily Telegraph, 8th August 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

High Court asks SRA to consider firm’s fitness to practise after contempt ruling – Legal Futures

“The incoming Lord Chief Justice has asked the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to consider a law firm’s continuing fitness to practise having found its senior partner in contempt of court.”

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Legal Futures, 9th August 2013

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

JK Rowling law firm pays damages over pseudonym leak – BBC News

Posted August 1st, 2013 in anonymity, charities, costs, damages, disclosure, law firms, news by sally

“Harry Potter creator JK Rowling has accepted a substantial charity donation from the law firm that revealed she was writing under a pseudonym.”

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BBC News, 31st July 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Guidelines needed to help lawyers provide a better service to people with learning disabilities

“A lack of experience in dealing with people with learning disabilities means lawyers often struggle to provide this vulnerable client group with the specialist support they need, according to new research published today.”

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Legal Services Board, 29th July 2013

Source: www.legalservicesboard.org.uk

Leicester Crown Court is ‘in crisis’ according to lawyers – BBC News

Posted July 26th, 2013 in courts, Crown Court, delay, judiciary, law firms, news by sally

“Victims of crime are being put through unnecessary extra stress because of a ‘crisis’ caused by a lack of judges at Leicester Crown Court, lawyers claim.”

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BBC News, 26th July 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

20 law firms implicated in ‘secret’ phone hacking scandal – Daily Telegraph

“Lawyers were the biggest users of the private investigators behind the ‘secret’ phone-hacking scandal, it has been revealed.”

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Daily Telegraph, 26th July 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

In re Portsmouth City Football Club Ltd (in liquidation); Neumans LLP (a firm) v Andronikou and others – WLR Daily

Posted July 25th, 2013 in appeals, expenses, fees, insolvency, law firms, law reports, sport by tracey

In re Portsmouth City Football Club Ltd (in liquidation); Neumans LLP (a firm) v Andronikou and others: [2013] EWCA Civ 916; [2013] WLR (D) 301

“Where solicitors had acted for a company in connection with its opposition to a winding up petition but had ceased to act for the company by the time the company went into out of court administration, the court had no power under the Insolvency Rules 1986 or under the inherent jurisdiction of the court to direct that fees which the company owed to the solicitors were an expense of the administration.”

WLR Daily, 24th July 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Number of ambulance-chasing firms falls by a third after change to ‘no-win, no-fee’ law – Daily Telegraph

Posted July 23rd, 2013 in compensation, fees, law firms, news, personal injuries by tracey

“The number of ‘ambulance-chasing’ firms handling personal injury claims has plummeted by nearly a third after a Government clampdown on no-win, no-fee deals earlier this year.”

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Daily Telegraph, 23rd July 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Legal aid reforms could undermine fundamental principles of justice, warns CPS – The Independent

“Government plans to reform legal aid for criminal suspects could undermine the fundamental principles of justice in England and Wales, the official prosecuting body has suggested.”

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The Independent, 16th July 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Judge warns against ‘hopeless’ applications to halt deportations – The Guardian

Posted July 11th, 2013 in asylum, deportation, judges, law firms, news by sally

“A leading judge has warned solicitors against making ‘hopeless’ applications to halt the deportation of failed asylum seekers “desperate not to leave this country”.”

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The Guardian, 11th July 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Interview: Lucy Scott-Moncrieff – Law Society’s Gazette

“It was a fitting end to a year’s presidency that has witnessed unprecedented changes in the way legal services are funded and delivered. On 1 July, just 10 days before she is to step down, Lucy Scott-Moncrieff was able to tell the profession that government has at last bowed to Law Society pressure and agreed to retain client choice at the heart of the criminal legal aid system.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 8th July 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk