City solicitors urge MoJ to withdraw “premature” consultation on defamation costs protection – Litigation Futures

Posted November 12th, 2013 in consultations, costs, defamation, news, privacy, solicitors by tracey

“City solicitors have urged the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to withdraw its consultation on costs protection in defamation and privacy claims because it does not deal with the central issue of how eligibility for protection will be assessed.”

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Litigation Futures, 7th November 2013

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Transforming Legal Aid: Next Steps – Consultation Response by Garden Court Chambers – Garden Court Chambers Blog

Posted November 7th, 2013 in barristers, consultations, criminal justice, fees, law firms, legal aid, news, solicitors by tracey

“Garden Court Chambers have formulated the below response to the Ministry of Justice consultation document ‘Transforming Legal Aid: Next Steps.’ The response reiterates Chambers’ strong opposition to the cuts to legal aid.”

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Garden Court Chambers Blog, 1st November 2013

Source: www.gclaw.wordpress.com

Education and training: learning curve – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 4th, 2013 in legal education, news, solicitors by sally

“The profession’s regulators face complex and overlapping challenges in creating a legal education system which shifts the focus from the ‘journey’ to the point of qualification.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 4th November 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Solicitors’ indemnity insurance: Is the withdrawal of insurers creating a black hole for policyholders? – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted October 30th, 2013 in disclosure, indemnities, insurance, Law Society, news, solicitors by sally

“Professional indemnity insurance (‘PII’) cover for solicitors is notoriously forgiving to policyholders on the issue of non-disclosure.”

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Hardwicke Chambers, 18th October 2013

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Mediation: No duty to put meat on the bones – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted October 30th, 2013 in appeals, dispute resolution, duty of care, news, solicitors by sally

“The scent and smoke and sweat of a mediation can be nauseating at three in the morning, as Ian Fleming might have written had he declined a successful career as a thriller writer in favour of the less glamorous life of a commercial litigator. It is a sentiment which clearly resonates even in the Court of Appeal, as revealed in the Court’s judgment in Frost v Wake Smith & Tofields [2013] EWCA Civ 772 last month.”

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Hardwicke Chambers, 17th October 2013

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Keynote Address to The Motor Accidents Solicitors Society – Speech by Mr. Justice Foskett

Posted October 29th, 2013 in costs, news, personal injuries, solicitors, speeches by sally

Keynote Address to The Motor Accidents Solicitors Society (PDF)

Speech by Mr. Justice Foskett

The Motor Accidents Solicitors Society, 25th October 2013

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

High Court overturns current practice when calculating one-fifth rule – Litigation Futures

Posted October 29th, 2013 in costs, news, precedent, solicitors by sally

“Costs that are disallowed for want of retainer should not form part of a costs judge’s calculations in applying the one-fifth rule, the High Court has said.”

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Litigation Futures, 28th October 2013

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

‘Family Law Reform: Some Missing Views’ by Rebekah Wilson – Garden Court Family Law Blog

“It is with interest, as a barrister committed to representation of parties in care proceedings that I read the monthly, View from the President’s Chambers (available online). And more recently an interview with the President himself in Counsel Magazine (Justic Delayed is Justice Denied, Chris McWatters talks to Sir James Munby, Counsel October 2013).”

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Garden Court Family Law Blog, 25th October 2013

Source: www.gcfamily.wordpress.com

​How to: change specialisms – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 28th, 2013 in legal profession, news, solicitors by sally

“Grania Langdon-Down hears from practitioners who have reshaped their career by moving practice area.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 28th October 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Coroner Alan Crickmore pleads guilty to £2 million fraud of the dead – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 18th, 2013 in abuse of position of trust, coroners, executors, fraud, news, solicitors by tracey

“A coroner has pleaded guilty to a £2 million fraud which saw him steal some of the money from the estates of the dead.”

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Daily Telegraph, 17th October 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

No law degree required for would-be solicitors – Times Higher Education

Posted October 17th, 2013 in legal education, news, solicitors, universities by sally

“Solicitors will no longer need to have a degree in order to qualify under a radical shake-up of legal training that it has been claimed could spell the ‘death’ of some law undergraduate courses.”

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Times Higher Education, 17th October 2013

Source: www.timeshighereducation.co.uk

High Court refuses to delay high street court battle with MasterCard – The Lawyer

“An attempt by MasterCard to avoid a multi-billion damages claim from a dozen retailers because the monthly due diligence costs charged by its lawyers at Jones Day could be as much as £700,000 has been rejected by the High Court.”

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The Lawyer, 16th October 2013

Source: www.thelawyer.com

New reforms to increase diversity of coroners – Ministry of Justice

Posted October 14th, 2013 in barristers, coroners, diversity, legal executives, news, solicitors by sally

“Changes designed to increase the diversity of coroners and competition for positions, have been announced by new Justice Minister Shailesh Vara.”

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Ministry of Justice, 14th October 2013

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

The Importance of Being Earnest – NearlyLegal

“We have seen Santander having trouble in mortgage possession proceedings in Northern Ireland recently. Here is another example which could perhaps, indeed maybe should, have been avoided, if the lender had actually taken proceedings sufficiently seriously.”

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NearlyLegal, 11th October 2013

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

GCHQ accused of monitoring privileged emails between lawyers and clients – The Guardian

“GCHQ is probably intercepting legally privileged communications between lawyers and their clients, according to a detailed claim filed on behalf of eight Libyans involved in politically sensitive compensation battles with the UK.”

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The Guardian, 13th October 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

SRA responds to education review with ​‘bonfire of regulations’ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 10th, 2013 in consultations, legal education, news, regulations, solicitors by tracey

“Radical reforms to open more diverse routes to becoming a solicitor, including through apprenticeships, are to be published by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 8th October 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘Greedy’ lawyer Gareth Arnold from Cardiff jailed for fraud – BBC News

Posted October 10th, 2013 in fraud, news, sentencing, solicitors by tracey

“A solicitor has been jailed for stealing more than £200,000 from clients including one who had received compensation for brain damage.”

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BBC News, 9th October 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Refusal of relief from sanctions also highlights negligence risk for solicitors, warns QC – Litigation Futures

Posted October 9th, 2013 in disclosure, negligence, news, sanctions, solicitors, time limits by sally

“The latest High Court decision refusing relief from sanctions shows how tough the courts are becoming in implementing the Jackson reforms, a QC has warned.”

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Litigation Futures, 9th October 2013

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

High Court backs litigation funder’s decision to terminate agreement – Litigation Futures

Posted September 16th, 2013 in costs, estoppel, news, solicitors, third parties by tracey

“The High Court has ruled that a third-party litigation funder was entitled to terminate its funding in a case where the prospects of success had fallen below 60%.”

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Litigation Futures, 16th September 2013

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Judicial Review and Legal Aid under threat… and a Human Rights Birthday – The Human Rights Roundup – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted September 9th, 2013 in human rights, judicial review, legal aid, news, solicitors by tracey

“Welcome back to the UK Human Rights Roundup, your regular Olympic opening ceremony of human rights news and views.”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 8th September 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com