British lawyers are better known for their sense of tradition than an uninhibited desire for the unknown. But an increasing number of firms are stripping off their suits to go surfing as they advertise their wares on the World Wide Web. Masons special adviser, author and ‘technoboffin’ Richard Susskind says the web has revolutionised the […]
Lovell White Durrant is on the hunt for a new London home after an unsuccessful bid for the Mirror Group newspapers building. Lovells moved into its existing offices at 65 Holborn Viaduct in 1990. The lease runs out at the turn of the century and Lovells is looking to move. Property partner Simon MacDonagh, who […]
Chris Fogarty reports The Local Government Group Training Directorate is seeking ideas for training courses. Run by Peter Godber, the directorate offers local government lawyers a wide range of courses but wants to ensure it is not overlooking any area where lawyers feel they need extra training and information. The Local Government Group is offering […]
Certain tools are now considered essential to efficient and cost-effective business. For example, it is accepted as the norm for every member of staff in a law firm to have their own PC connected to the internal network. While some may debate the effectiveness of fee earners typing their own documents, few would disagree with […]
Islington Borough Council has fended off a £700,000 interest swap claim from Welwyn Hatfield District Council in the Court of Appeal. The action resulted from an interest rate swap the two councils embarked on in 1987. Such swaps, involving complicated speculation on interest rates, were ruled outside local authorities powers by the High Court in […]
The London office of US firm Chadbourne & Parke has lured a second partner from City firm Ashurst Morris Crisp in the space of six months. Project finance expert Martyn Stewart-Smith starts this week as a partner with the US firm. He specialises in utilities law covering public sector restructuring, having acted for numerous developers […]
As the Internet enjoys explosive growth, it comes as something of a shock to find that the take up of intranets is estimated to be 10 times larger. But what is an intranet, how does it fit in with the Internet and your PC, and how do you use it? An intranet is the use […]
A new marketing and lobbying unit aimed primarily at barristers is being set up by Shandwick Consultants. The Legal Affairs Unit, which opens on 19 June, will be headed by Jon McLeod, who is currently account director at Westminster Strategy where he handles media relations for the Bar Council. McLeod said the unit would offer […]
THE Law Society looks set to renew its call for law firms to boycott the Legal Aid Board’s green form block contract pilot, when it reviews the decision at Thursday’s council meeting. Since the Law Society announced the boycott in April, protracted negotiations have been taking place between the LAB and the society over the […]
News International head of legal Tom Chrone last week lambasted the Irish legal system’s handling of defamation claims, particularly the way in which barristers are used. At a seminar – ‘Defamation Actions in Ireland: Points and Pitfalls’ – organised by Dublin firm McCann Fitzgerald, he criticised the dependency on barristers during settlement talks. In particular […]
A recent ruling by the Master of the Rolls, Lord Woolf, and two other appeal Court judges leaves little doubt that asylum seekers can no longer regard the UK as a safe haven while their applications for asylum are being considered. Their decision that the former Home Secretary, Michael Howard, could lawfully conclude that France […]
Firms involved in Private Finance Initiative (PFI) projects have welcomed a succession of moves by the new Government to kickstart PFI, saying they are reassured by the speed with which Labour has acted. Since coming into power, the Government has announced a review of PFI, introduced a Bill to clarify the position of NHS trusts […]