Channel 5 has poached Colin Campbell as its director of legal and business affairs from BBC Broadcast, where he was head of business affairs. Campbell takes over next January from Jane Gill, who is leaving to set up her own media law practice.
The sole practice of former Eversheds partner Jocelyn Taylor has become the first public casualty of the massive hikes in Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF) contributions. Taylor, who left Eversheds to work part-time from home three years ago, says her SIF contribution has rocketed from £1,600 last year to £9,110 for the year ahead, and her […]
A subsidiary of banking giant Abbey National has launched a new 10-day remortgaging service that will cut the borrower’s solicitor out of the remortgaging process. The Household Mortgage Corporation (HMC) will this week go public with its Fastrak service that guarantees a remortgage within 10 working days. If the deadline is missed, the £200 fee […]
Cherie Booth QC and her barrister colleague at 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square, Jane Oldham, were guest speakers at a seminar, Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling, at the inaugural meeting of City firm Berwin Leighton’s Women In Business Group. About 80 businesswomen attended the event at London’s Tallow Chandlers Hall last week. The group, which is […]
The Law Society is to send a letter to all MPs and peers today expressing the view that the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine of Lairg’s decision to withdraw legal aid from all non-family civil claims is a restriction of access to justice for the poor and for those who want to bring complex cases. The […]
The Bar Council is set to launch a pioneering scheme which will enable the public to bypass solicitors when consulting barristers. The “direct access” pilot will be launched at the end of this month through advice centres in Milton Keynes, London, Sheffield and Cambridge. The barristers’ fees will be funded through legal aid, or privately, […]
The Atlantic/Caribbean region is fighting hard to shake off its reputation as a money-laundering centre, says Richard Newell. Competition and the drive for cleaner markets continue to be the main elements driving the development of offshore centres in the Atlantic/Caribbean region. The sector is still beset with problems and in the last six months we […]
BVI is enhancing its reputation as a financial centre, writes Robert Mathavious. Robert Mathavious is director of financial services with the government of the BVI. Robert Mathavious is director of financial services with the government of the BVI. The British Virgin Islands (BVI) is already well known as a full-service financial centre with a reputation […]
Tim Robinson, the solicitor of Tracie Andrews, the woman convicted for the murder of her boyfriend in a Worcestershire country lane after she had claimed that he had been a victim of road rage, was last week charged with conspiracy to defraud the Legal Aid Board. Robinson, the former senior partner of Robinsons, which is […]
Plans to create eight new offences relating to racial harassment and violence have prompted a mixed reaction. HOME Office plans to create new crimes of racially-motivated violence and racial harassment would seem at first glance to be a laudable attempt to crush the 400 or so racist incidents which occur in the UK each day. […]
Shipping firm Clyde & Co has head-hunted Penningtons’ two leading energy partners Martin Byatt and Michelle Dunne. Byatt was head of Penningtons’ corporate department. Dunne was head of its natural resources unit. Byatt, who joined Penningtons with Dunne in 1993 when his niche natural resources practice merged with the firm, said: “When you have international […]
The Law Society is to lose its role in regulating solicitors doing investment business. But fears that solicitors would have to hive off their investment practices have been allayed. The financial regulator formerly known as Newro – now officially named the Financial Services Authority (FSA) – last week issued a consultation paper which declared, as […]