A blanket ban on homosexuals in the Armed Forces is to be challenged in the European Court of Justice. Mr Justice Lightman decided last week to refer the case of Terry Perkins, sacked from the Royal Navy despite an exemplary career, to the European Court. Perkins was represented by Stephen Grosz of Bindman & Partners. […]
The Alliance of European Lawyers (AEL) has expanded eastward to Warsaw by signing an “agreement of co-operation” with leading local practice Consultor. Consultor, one of the largest firms in Poland, was established in 1985 by law lecturers from Warsaw University. It has since become a leading provider of legal and tax services to domestic and […]
Tony Williams has seen off Peter Charlton in the final round of voting among partners for the position of managing partner at Clifford Chance. Williams was seen as a well-equipped candidate with the right mix of skills for the job. “To be a successful managing partner, you need to have a wide understanding of Clifford […]
Peace has been restored to the Royal Courts of Justice after a potentially nasty spat over the trolley handling skills of barristers’ clerks was settled amicably. The Court Service has been unhappy about the document trolleys used by clerks and the damage they have been doing to the historic woodwork and stone steps. The service […]
The recent recession has left many firms looking at lower levels of partner profit, despite the fact that partners and fee earners are working harder than ever. A minority of firms have seen a rapid growth in profits over this period. To understand how different firms achieve a range of profitability levels it is necessary […]
The legal profession has backed Lord Bingham’s scathing attack on the Home Secretary’s proposed review of the criminal justice system, saying his remarks strike a chord with practitioners and are “extremely welcome”. The Lord Chief Justice last week condemned the current politicisation of reform of the criminal justice system. He also criticised the lack of […]
Law Lords in Northern Ireland have given an Irish man detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act leave to appeal. Charles Begley claims police wrongly refused to allow his solicitor to attend interviews the police had with him. Begley was detained under s.14 of the 1989 Act on suspicion of involvement in the murder of […]
UK law firms are losing out on valuable work preparing companies for listing on Easdaq, the new European electronic stock exchange, according to a leading UK stock broker in the market. Nick Rogers, corporate finance director at Beeson Gregory which has shares in Easdaq, was speaking to The Lawyer after UK company Esprit Telecom Group […]
Planning and local government Chambers 2 Mitre Court Buildings, headed by Michael FitzGerald QC, is the latest leading set to appoint a practice manager. William Bale, a former partnership secretary with Middlesex solicitors Turberville Woodbridge, was selected from several hundred candidates. Senior clerk Robert Woods helped draw up Bale’s job description as part of the […]
Goats are set to take centre stage at the High Court in an action which is pending. Kent goat farmers William and Maureen Browning are taking Sheila Gilham of West Sussex to court over a herd of 135 goats they bought from her and her late husband in 1991. The Brownings claim the goats were […]
The Australian Supreme Court has ordered the closure of the Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS), a pioneering group dedicated to representing aborigines which was equipped with solicitors to defend them in civil and criminal cases. The ALS, which was set up 25 years ago and run by aborigines, was ironically shot in the foot by aborigines […]
Discharge of jury not necessary for impartiality David Gregory v United Kingdom (1997) ECHR (R Ryssdal, Thor Vilhjalmsson, F Golcuklu, F Matscher, A Spielmann, N Valticos, I Foighel, Sir John Freeland, AB Baka) 25/2/97 Summary: European Court of Human Rights decision on whether discharge of jury was necessary to ensure fair trial after suggestions of […]