Appeal court backs law firm in ‘you’re fired’ retainer row – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 3rd, 2012 in appeals, contracts, costs, fees, news, solicitors by sally

“Solicitors are entitled to suspend work for clients who have not paid their bill in accordance with the contractual term of business agreed, the Court of Appeal has ruled in a key case on retainers.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 2nd May 2012

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

JAC commissioner: ‘let solicitors become judges’ – Law Society’s Gazette

“The newly-appointed solicitor commissioner to the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) has expressed scepticism about targets and quotas for diversity as well as the ‘tipping point’ method of favouring under-represented groups.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 3rd May 2012

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Adams and others v Ford and others – WLR Daily

Adams and others v Ford and others [2012] EWCA Civ 544; [2012] WLR (D) 125

“It was not right to lay down a categorical rule that the issue of proceedings without valid authority from a claimant ought necessarily to amount to an abuse of the process of the court. The principle in Presentaciones Musicales SA v Secunda [1994] Ch 271, that a claimant could ratify and adopt proceedings started in his name by a solicitor without authority, remained binding on the court.”

WLR Daily, 26th April 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Flexible working patterns – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted April 26th, 2012 in flexible working, legal profession, news, solicitors, women by sally

“In the legal profession’s workaholic culture, achieving work/life balance has always been a struggle – and still is. The term ‘work/life balance’ has such negative connotations in private practice that some firms have banned it from their vocabulary. At Ashurst, for example, they refer to ‘work/life fit’. Speaking at the International Women in Law Summit last month, Ashurst senior partner Charlie Geffen said how one ‘fits home life into work’ was ‘a more honest’ description of what was realistic in law firms, particularly in transactional work.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 26th April 2012

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Biting back: Mr Loophole makes his case – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 23rd, 2012 in dangerous driving, news, road traffic offences, solicitors by sally

“Nick Freeman, whose knack for getting celebrity clients off driving charges earned him the nickname Mr Loophole, is unapologetic about defending the seemingly indefensible.”

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Daily Telegraph, 21st April 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Appeal court finds dishonest solicitor should have been struck off – Legal Week

Posted April 10th, 2012 in appeals, disciplinary procedures, news, professional conduct, solicitors by sally

“The Court of Appeal has ruled that a legal disciplinary body should have struck off a solicitor that had been found to have acted dishonestly.”

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Legal Week, 5th April 2012

Source: www.legalweek.com

Wait for ABSs is over: Tesco law is here – The Guardian

“Alternative business structures will bring subtle, but significant changes in the way law is practised.”

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The Guardian, 2nd April 2012

Souce: www.guardian.co.uk

SRA confirms debut trio of licensed alternative business structures – Legal Week

“The first three alternative business structures (ABS) to be licensed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) have been confirmed today (March 28), as the reforms ushered in by the Legal Services Act continue to gather pace.”

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Legal Week, 28th March 2012

Source: www.legalweek.com

Djanogly: UK consumers benefiting from solicitors’ big bang – Ministry of Justice

Posted March 28th, 2012 in alternative business structures, competition, news, solicitors by sally

“Consumers in England and Wales will find solicitors more competitive, more efficient and easier to access as new High Street providers are announced today.”

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Ministry of Justice, 28th March 2012

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Agreement reached on QASA – Bar Standards Board

“Agreement on a joint scheme to assure the quality of criminal advocacy has been reached by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), Bar Standards Board (BSB) and ILEX Professional Standards (IPS).”

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Bar Standards Board, 23rd March 2012

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Regulators approve new scheme to measure quality at criminal Bar – Legal Week

“A controversial new scheme for criminal barristers that could see QCs paid the same as leading juniors is a step closer to coming into effect after being approved by a trio of legal regulators.”

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Legal Week, 26th March 2012

Source: www.legalweek.com

Lawyer jailed for £51,000 OAP fraud – The Independent

Posted March 23rd, 2012 in news, powers of attorney, sentencing, solicitors, theft by tracey

“A solicitor was today jailed for 26 months after stealing more than £51,000 from an elderly dementia sufferer who treated him like a son.”

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The Independent, 23rd March 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Swansea solicitor Cornelius has fraud convictions quashed – BBC News

“A solicitor from Swansea jailed for fraud and money laundering has had his conviction quashed and been set free.”

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BBC News, 14th March 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Quality test ‘should not protect barristers’ – Law Society’s Gazette

“Controversy about the use of judicial evaluation in a new scheme to assess the quality of advocates has escalated, with solicitors’ bodies warning that the scheme could become a means to protect barristers.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 8th March 2012

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

No solicitors make the silk round – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted March 1st, 2012 in diversity, legal profession, news, queen's counsel, solicitors by tracey

“Not a single solicitor was among the 88 new Queen’s Counsel appointments announced today. Of the 214 applicants, only two came from solicitor advocates; neither was successful. Since 2008, six solicitors have been made QC. Last year two out of the five who applied were successful, while in the previous competition one from the 10 who applied succeeded. Dame Joan Higgins, chair of the QC selection panel, said: ‘The panel is concerned that there appears to be considerable hesitancy on the part of solicitor advocates to apply for silk, even where they may be well qualified to do so.’”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 29th February 2012

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Bar Council and Law Society Launch Russo-British Lawyer Exchange Programme – The Bar Council

Posted February 15th, 2012 in barristers, legal education, news, professional conduct, Russia, solicitors by sally

“The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, and the Law Society, which represents solicitors in England and Wales, will today launch the inaugural Russo-British lawyer exchange programme at a reception held at the Law Society offices.”

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The Bar Council, 14th February 2012

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Lloyds TSB Bank plc v Markandan & Uddin (a firm) – WLR Daily

Posted February 13th, 2012 in law reports, sale of land, sham transactions, solicitors, trusts by sally

Lloyds TSB Bank plc v Markandan & Uddin (a firm) [2012] EWCA Civ 65a; [2012] WLR (D) 29

“The completion of sale of land and mortgage did not become effective until all executed title documents including mortgage loan agreement and deed in the name of the purchasers or an effective undertaking from the purchaser’s real solicitor or agent to exchange the documents were received by the vendor or his agent. Therefore, a solicitor who had parted with the money entrusted to him by the lender to a purchaser’s fictitious solicitor in exchange for a purported undertaking from the bogus solicitor to exchange and forward those documents committed a breach of trust.”

WLR Daily, 9th February 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Lawyer struck off after ‘one of worst cases of fraud’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 9th, 2012 in disciplinary procedures, fraud, news, professional conduct, solicitors by sally

“A lawyer has been struck off after admitting he stole £3 million from his company and clients in what a tribunal described as one of the worst cases of fraud it had encountered.”

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Daily Telegraph, 7th February 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Deech: barristers and solicitors should share training – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted February 2nd, 2012 in barristers, legal education, news, solicitors by sally

“Barristers and solicitors should share most of their training, the chair of the Bar Standards Board has proposed.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 2nd February 2012

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Law Society president: split in profession to end – Law Society’s Gazette

“The president of the Law Society expects the 180-year-old division between solicitors and barristers to wither away as a result of the reforms set in motion by the Legal Services Act.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 25th January 2012

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk