Family Mediation Council’s Professional Practice Consultants Conference 2013 – Speech by Lord McNally

Posted March 15th, 2013 in arbitration, dispute resolution, families, legal profession, speeches by sally

“Family Mediation Council’s Professional Practice Consultants Conference 2013, speech by Lord McNally, 14th March 2013.”

Full speech

Ministry of Justice, 14th March 2013

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Reform agenda to create “two-tier Bar”, with bulk of chambers to suffer – Legal Futures

Posted March 12th, 2013 in barristers, fees, legal aid, legal profession, news by sally

“Legal aid cuts, the Jackson reforms and the introduction of competitive tendering for criminal law work will split the Bar into a two-tier profession, with mid-sized generalist chambers set to suffer, a specialist Bar consultant has predicted.”

Full story

Legal Futures, 12th March 2013

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Government backs Level 4 apprenticeships to offer new route into law – Legal Futures

Posted March 11th, 2013 in legal education, legal profession, news, universities by sally

“A new route into the legal profession is launched today in a bid to improve access and diversity in the law.”

Full story

Legal Futures, 11th March 2013

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Legal professional privilege and employment law – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted February 27th, 2013 in accountants, employment tribunals, legal profession, news, privilege by sally

“In R (on the application of Prudential Plc and another) v Special Commissioner of Income Tax and another [2013] UKSC 1 a majority of the Supreme Court held that legal advice privilege does not extend to protect legal advice given by professionals who are not lawyers and that it is for Parliament, not the courts, to decide whether and how the privilege should be extended.”

Full story

Hardwicke Chambers, 19th February 2013

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Ian Brady’s mental health advocate will not face charges – BBC News

“Moors murderer Ian Brady’s mental health advocate will not face charges over
allegations she failed to disclose information about the location of one of his
victims’ remains.”

Full story

BBC News, 11th February 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UK law is a booming export but at home crime work doesn’t pay – The Guardian

Posted February 8th, 2013 in legal aid, legal profession, legal services, news, remuneration by sally

“While financial law mushrooms, legal aid cuts are threatening basic access to the system and the future of high street solicitors.”

Full story

The Guardian, 7th February 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Bar Council and Law Society at loggerheads as standard terms of contract come into force – Legal Futures

Posted January 31st, 2013 in barristers, contract of employment, legal profession, news, solicitors by sally

“Barristers could end up uninsured and in financial hardship if they agree to variations of their new standard terms of contract recommended by the Law Society, the Bar Council has warned.”

Full story

Legal Futures, 31st January 2013

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Bar Council welcomes BSB proposed changes to public access – The Bar Council

“The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has welcomed the Bar Standards Board’s (BSB) proposed changes to Public Access training, which look to ‘enhance the course content and introduce an element of formal assessment’ to ensure barristers have the requisite knowledge and skills to carry out public access work.”

Full story

The Bar Council, 29th January 2013

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

A new generation of lawyers – LegalVoice

“As the Skills Minister Matthew Hancock gives his backing for Apprentice Lawyers, Nick Skeet of Skills for Justice discusses the impact on the industry and what this could mean for legal aid.”

Full story

LegalVoice, 30th January 2013

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk

Setting the matter straight – The Bar Council

“The merits of joining forces with the Law Society and CILEx; the need to help facilitate the transition to the new world, even if its flaws are readily apparent; the Bar as guardians of the Rule of Law; and a fond farewell.”

Full story (PDF)

The Bar Council, December 2012

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Simplify complaints procedures, OFT tells profession – Law Society’s Gazette

“The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has urged the legal profession to simplify its complaints procedures, following the publication of research showing that only one in eight dissatisfied customers goes on to make a formal complaint.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 28th January 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Legal professional privilege fight goes on – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 28th, 2013 in accountants, legal profession, news, privilege by sally

“The fight to defend legal professional privilege looks set to continue, despite last week’s landmark victory for the profession in the Supreme Court. Parliament was urged to consider extending the scope of LPP in the wake of the judgment by the 140,000-member Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 28th January 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Regina (Prudential plc and another) v Special Comr of Income Tax and another (Institute of Chartered Accountants and others intervening) – WLR Daily

Posted January 25th, 2013 in accountants, financial advice, law reports, legal profession, privilege, taxation by sally

Regina (Prudential plc and another) v Special Comr of Income Tax and another (Institute of Chartered Accountants and others intervening): [2013] UKSC 1;   [2013] WLR (D)  20

“Legal advice privilege would not be extended to communications in connection with advice given by professional people other than members of the legal profession, even where that advice was legal advice which the professional person was qualified to give.”

WLR Daily, 23rd January 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

R (on the application of Prudential plc and another) (Appellants) v Special Commissioner of Income Tax and another (Respondents) – Supreme Court

Posted January 23rd, 2013 in accountants, financial advice, law reports, legal profession, privilege, taxation by sally

R (on the application of Prudential plc and another) (Appellants) v Special Commissioner of Income Tax and another (Respondents) [2013] UKSC 1 | UKSC 2010/0215 (YouTube)

Supreme Court, 23rd January 2013

Source: www.youtube.com/user/UKSupremeCourt

Blackstone’s Pannick fails to persuade Supreme Court to extend privilege to accountants – The Lawyer

Posted January 23rd, 2013 in accountants, financial advice, legal profession, news, privilege, taxation by sally

“The Supreme Court has refused to extend legal privilege to accountants offering tax advice.”

Full story

The Lawyer, 23rd January 2013

Source: www.thelawyer.com

A Time of Change: Solicitors’ Firms in England and Wales – Ministry of Justice

Posted January 17th, 2013 in law firms, legal profession, news, reports, solicitors by sally

“A report setting out findings from a survey of solicitors’ firms commissioned jointly by the Law Society, Legal Services Board and Ministry of Justice.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, January 2013

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Courtroom Drama – BBC Unreliable Evidence

Posted January 7th, 2013 in legal profession, legal services, news, theatre by sally

“Following the return of Rumpole to Radio 4, Clive Anderson and his guests discuss how accurately the legal world is depicted in stage and screen dramas. And they discuss the issues which arise when the distinctions between fiction and fact – between Rumpole and reality – become blurred in the public’s mind.”

Listen

BBC Unreliable Evidence, 29th December 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Fair access to the legal profession – The Guardian

Posted January 7th, 2013 in diversity, law firms, legal education, legal profession, news by sally

“City law firms are exploring ways to remove barriers that prevent students from lower-income backgrounds pursuing a career in law.”

Full story

The Guardian, 5th January 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

LSB’s regulatory assessments: Positive signs, but much further to go – Legal Services Board

Posted December 13th, 2012 in legal profession, Legal Services Board, news, reports by sally

“The Legal Services Board is today publishing its first assessments of the performance of
regulators in the legal services sector. These are issued alongside a consultation on the
LSB’s draft Business Plan for 2013/14. Together these documents make clear the importance,
the LSB attaches to improving regulatory performance in the coming year.”

Full story

Legal Services Board, 12th December 2012

Source: www.legalservicesboard.org.uk

Phillips & Co (a firm) v Bath Housing Co-operative Ltd – WLR Daily

Posted December 12th, 2012 in civil justice, costs, law reports, legal profession, limitations, solicitors by sally

Phillips & Co (a firm) v Bath Housing Co-operative Ltd [2012] EWCA Civ 1591; [2012] WLR (D) 372

“A solicitors’ claim for costs, billed but not yet fixed by assessment or agreement, fell within the phrase ‘debt or other liquidated pecuniary claim’ in section 29(5)(a) of the Limitation Act 1980.”

WLR Daily, 11th December 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk