Category: legal profession

Who will police the lawyers now? Only a non-lawyer need apply . . . – The Times

Posted November 9th, 2007 in legal profession, legal services, special report by sally

“Forget the McCanns, the inquest into the death of the Diana, Princess of Wales, or Heather Mills’s outburst against the media. The real story in recent days is the arrival on the statute book of the Legal Services Act which has received Royal Assent. Dry as it sounds, this piece of legislation heralds a revolution in how legal services will be delivered to the public.”

Full story

The Times, 8th November 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Regina v Abdroikov; Regina v Green; Regina v Williamson

Posted November 8th, 2007 in juries, law reports, legal profession, police by sally

Appearance of bias with prosecutor on jury

Regina v Abdroikov; Regina v Green; Regina v Williamson

House of Lords

“In certain circumstances, the inclusion of serving police officers and prosecuting lawyers on a jury might give the appearance that the defendant was not tried by an impartial and independent tribunal and therefore convictions might have to be quashed.”

The Times, 8th November 2007

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.

Regina v Ulcay – Times Law Reports

Posted November 7th, 2007 in law reports, legal profession by sally

Counsel should soldier on as best they can

Regina v Ulcay

Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)

“If a defendant’s legal representatives considered that they were professionally embarrassed by continuing to conduct his case, the court could not oblige them to do so, but if the difficulty only amounted to insufficient time properly to prepare the case, owing to receiving late instructions, they should comply with their duty to the court by doing the best they could in the circumstances.”

The Times, 7th November 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Please note the Times Law Reports are only availabe free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.

Ministers lose legal shakeup vote – BBC News

Posted October 18th, 2007 in legal profession, legal services, news, parliament by sally

“Ministers have lost a series of votes in the House of Lords over plans to regulate lawyers in England and Wales.”

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BBC News, 17th October 2007

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Divorce lawyers ‘put fees before clients’ – The Independent

Posted October 16th, 2007 in divorce, fees, legal profession, news by sally

“Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills are the latest celebrity couple to find out the hard way that divorce often ends in a long, acrimonious and expensive court battle. But many costly annulments could be avoided if alternative and less hostile means of separation were explored first, new research suggests.”

Full story

The Independent, 16th October 2007

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Lawyers blamed for injury claims delays – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 8th, 2007 in delay, legal profession, news, personal injuries by sally

“Lawyers have come under attack for causing excessive delays to personal injury claims while making record profits from Britain’s thriving compensation culture.”

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Daily Telegraph, 8th October 2007

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Dawn of a new era – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 5th, 2007 in competition, legal profession, legal services, special report by sally

“As the Legal Services Bill reaches its final Parliamentary lap, Neil Rose looks at what concessions the government has made to ensure this groundbreaking legislation becomes law.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 4th October 2007

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Lawyers are UK’s happiest office workers – Legal Week

Posted September 11th, 2007 in legal profession by sally

“Lawyers are the happiest office workers in the UK, according to new research – although a third are currently looking for another job.”

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Legal Week, 10th September 2007

Source: www.legalweek.com

English lawyers take the high road – The Lawyer

Posted September 5th, 2007 in legal profession, Scotland by sally

“A poor work-life balance and the high cost of living is leading English lawyers to head north of the border to practise, according to Scottish law firms and recruiters.”

Full story

The Lawyer, 3rd September 2007

Source: www.thelawyer.com

How should we assess the cost of lawyers’ mistakes? – The Times

Posted August 16th, 2007 in legal profession, negligence, special report by sally

“Is it right that courts still assume the worst of lawyers whose negligence has damaged a client’s cause of action?”

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The Times, 15th August 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

BME judicial review withdrawn – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 27th, 2007 in judicial review, legal aid, legal profession, minorities, news by sally

“The Black Solicitors Network (BSN) and the Society of Asian Lawyers (SAL) have withdrawn their joint judicial review action over the government’s legal aid reforms.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 26th July 2007

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Carter judicial review settles – The Lawyer

Posted July 20th, 2007 in judicial review, legal aid, legal profession, minorities, news by sally

“The much-anticipated judicial review brought by black and Asian lawyers against the Government’s Carter reforms ended abruptly yesterday (19 July) after the application was withdrawn.”

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The Lawyer, 20th July 2007

Source: www.thelawyer.com

Exit signs – The Lawyer

Posted July 12th, 2007 in legal profession, news by sally

“A staggering amount of lawyers have had enough, but they are sticking around for the money.”

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The Lawyer, 9th July 2007

Source: www.thelawyer.com

All you need is the bare minimum – The Times

Posted July 3rd, 2007 in costs, fees, legal profession by sally

“A response to Sir Hugh Laddie’s recently published article, ‘Why does it cost so much to go to court?’ ”

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The Times, 3rd July 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Related: A legal system we can’t afford

Ordre des barreaux francophones et germanophones and Others v. Conseil des Ministres (Conseil des barreaux de l’Union europeénne and Ordre des avocats du barreau de Liège, interveners) – Times Law Reports

Posted July 2nd, 2007 in EC law, law reports, legal profession, money laundering by sally

Obligation on lawyers to help combat money laundering

Ordre des barreaux francophones et germanophones and Others v. Conseil des Ministres (Conseil des barreaux de l’Union europeénne and Ordre des avocats du barreau de Liège, interveners) Case C-305/05

Court of Justice of the European Communities

“Advice and assistance given by lawyers in financial and real estate transactions that had no link with judicial proceedings were not exempt from the duty to cooperate in combating money laundering.”

The Times, 2nd July 2007

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.

One in four lawyers wants to change jobs – The Times

Posted July 2nd, 2007 in legal profession, news by sally

“Almost a quarter of lawyers want to leave the profession because of stress and long hours, according to a survey published this week.”

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The Times, 2nd July 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

What lawyers really want now: a stop to the endless tinkering – The Times

Posted June 26th, 2007 in legal profession, special report by sally

“This week Tony Blair hands over the keys of No 10 to Gordon Brown. What does the profession want from him.”

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The Times, 26th June 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

LSC to be responsible for withdrawing lawyers causing unnecessary trail delays – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted June 8th, 2007 in costs, delay, legal aid, legal profession, news by sally

“Plans for judges to sack lawyers who cause unnecessary delays in very high-cost cases (VHCCs) have been revised following concerns raised by the Law Society and the Bar Council.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 7th June 2007

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Bar Council urges MPs to put consumers first in Legal Services reform – The Bar Council

Posted June 5th, 2007 in legal profession, legal services, news by sally

“Today, as the Legal Services Bill receives its Second Reading in the House of Commons, the Bar Council is keen to emphasise the need to put consumers first in any changes to the current legal framework.”

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The Bar Council press release, 4th June 2007

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Magic circle wades into LSB independence debate – Legal Week

Posted June 4th, 2007 in legal profession, legal services, news by sally

“All five magic circle firms have thrown their weight behind attempts to amend the Legal Services Bill ahead of a parliamentary debate on the issue today (4 June).”

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Legal Week, 4th June 2007

Source: www.legalweek.com