VAT – The Bar Council
“Letter received from the Legal Services Commission regarding VAT on Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme and Solicitor Standard Fee Claims.”
The Bar Council, 27th January 2009
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
Category: legal profession
Fees scheme may defuse VHCC row – Law Society’s Gazette
“A breakthrough in the dispute threatening to disrupt trials of very high cost criminal cases (VHCCs) could be in sight following the publication of new funding proposals.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 8th January 2009
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Fusty image and poor pay put women off being judges – The Times
“The judiciary is losing out on some of the best talent in the legal profession because the work of a High Court judge is perceived as fusty, old-fashioned and underpaid. ”
The Times, 8th January 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
In re M (a Child) (Family proceedings: Immigration) and In re N (a Child) (Family proceedings: Immigration) – Times Law Report
Family Division
“Practitioners in family proceedings representing a parent who was also involved in some other relevant matter such as an immigration or housing dispute or criminal case had an ongoing duty to remain au courant with those other issues.”
The Times, 26th November 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.
Judges’ report backs US-style plan that give lawyers a cut of damages – The Times
“A report seen by The Times supports the adoption of US-style contingency deals in which lawyers take their fees out of damages won for clients.”
The Times, 18th November 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Ready for a fight in the Law’s ‘Big Bang’ – Evening Standard
“As lawyers gear up for their version of the Big Bang, tensions are growing within a profession that has always prided itself on keeping calm in a crisis. The catalyst was an announcement by the Law Society last month that it was to commission a wide-ranging review of how solicitors in England and Wales should be regulated under recent legislation.”
Evening Standard, 4th November 2008
Source: www.thisislondon.co.uk
Hunt sets out his roadmap for sweeping regulatory review – Legal Week
“Former Beachcroft senior partner Lord Hunt of the Wirral has unveiled more detail of how his nine-month review of the regulatory framework for the legal profession will proceed.”
Legal Week, 6th November 2008
Source: www.legalweek.com
Very High Cost Criminal Cases – significant progress towards a new scheme – Ministry of Justice
“Significant progress is being made towards a new scheme of graduated fees for lawyers in very high cost criminal (VHCC) cases, Justice Secretary Jack Straw said today.”
Ministry of Justice, 24th October 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Salaries for in-house lawyers defy downturn – The Times
“Salaries for lawyers at the UK’s top companies are defying the economic downturn, according to new research, rising comfortably ahead of inflation.”
The Times, 23rd October 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Future lawyers get ‘life coaches’ to remove barriers to law – Ministry of Justice
“Budding lawyers seeking advice and support in their efforts to join the legal profession will be helped by a government initiative launched today by Justice Minister Lord Bach.”
Ministry of Justice, 23rd October 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Lack of work-life balance could deter talent from profession, says study – Legal Week
“Long hours and barriers to flexible working could cause a drain on the legal profession with young mothers and fathers struggling to find a balance between family and career, new research has found.”
Legal Week, 14th October 2008
Source: www.legalweek.com
Turf wars erupt over fees for family cases – The Times
“The credit crunch may dominate world headlines but closer to home lawyers are feeling the impact of their own pay squeeze.”
The Times, 7th October 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Long hours and stress drive lawyers to drink and drugs – The Times
“A culture of long hours and stress are driving increasing numbers of lawyers to drink and drugs, both within and outside the workplace.”
The Times, 6th October 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Overcoming barriers leading into law – new initiative – Ministry of Justice
“The Ministry of Justice is launching an initiative to examine the barriers facing law students trying to pursue a career as a solicitor or a barrister.”
Ministry of Justice, 1st October 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Jack Straw takes lawyers to task for their fees – The Times
“Jack Straw has opened a ‘new front for reform’ – as the Labour Party press release put it – with a blistering attack on the fees charged by lawyers under ‘no win, no fee’ cases.”
The Times, 23rd September 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Straw vows to act against ‘scandalous’ ‘no win, no fee’ lawyers – The Guardian
“A crackdown on the ‘scandalous’ behaviour of ‘no win, no fee’ lawyers, who have ramped up their fees in recent years, is to be launched by the government.”
The Guardian, 21st September 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Lawyers’ drive for diversity hindered by multiple rows – The Guardian
“The legal profession’s attempts to attract applicants from more diverse backgrounds are being undermined by continuing public disputes, including rows about the cutting of legal aid fees and claims of racial discrimination, it is feared.”
The Guardian, 15th September 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Counting the cost of reforms – The Times
“Fat cats living high on the hog of taxpayers’ money – or impoverished toilers at the front line of the criminal justice system? Lawyers who do legal aid work have always had a bad press and no one shed a tear when ministers announced radical reforms to curb the soaring costs of the £2 billion legal aid scheme.
The Times, 11th September 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Lawyers? They’re simply riveting . . . – The Times
“British lawyers have an insatiable appetite for reading about themselves, with a lively and competitive specialist press — including three big weeklies, two smaller niche weeklies, a glossy business monthly and numerous specialist practice titles — catering for that hunger. As the English legal profession stares down the barrel of a global recession, can it continue to support such a crowded field?”
The Times, 28th August 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
The Free Legal Web – Nick Holmes
“The Free Legal Web is an initiative designed to deliver a web service that joins up the law and legal commentary and analysis on the web and provides a useful service to both lawyers and the community at large. Read the About page for full details.”
Source: freelegalweb.org
