Leading libel lawyer Brian Hepworth and his assistant are leaving Goodman Derrick to set up their own media practice with prominent film and TV IP lawyer Michael Henry. Hepworth joined Goodmans only 18 months ago from Mishcon de Reya. He said: “I noticed as soon as I joined Goodmans that it was not quite the […]
The Law Society of Scotland has launched a new insurance scheme to cover no win, no fee compensation cases. The scheme is based on Accident Line Protect, which was launched by the Law Society of England and Wales in August 1995, but is a little more expensive. For a premium of £115, the Scottish scheme, […]
Ronald Thwaites QC, of 10 King’s Bench Walk, a member of the Defence Counsel in the trial of those charged with the murder of Stephen Lawrence, condemns the Mail. “It has no record of campaigning on civil liberties issues, so this is indicative of an attempt to increase circulation. It can only be in a […]
A certain past president of the Law Society, writing under the pen-name ‘Jonah’, recently criticised me for daring to suggest on prime-time TV that some solicitors might be reluctant to publish their charging rates for fear of being prevented from “stinging” their less commercially-minded clients. The core of the criticism seems to be that, as […]
Mishcon de Reya has appointed US music lawyer Jay Quatrini to boost its music law practice. Quatrini, who had been in partnership in Manhattan firm Quatrini Fox is to join Mishcons’ non-contentious media department. He will be acting for a wide range of transatlantic clients, including record companies, managers, producers and publishers. Mishcons’ five-strong non-contentious […]
Maclay Murray & Spens tops a Scottish law firm league table for number of deals. The firm handled 90 deals, while second-placed Dickson Minto handled 78, Dundas & Wilson did 66 and fourth-placed McGrigor Donald made 55. Maclays’ managing partner Michael Walker said his firm, with a total staff of 270, had taken on over […]
Courtroom dramas aside, more lawyers in general, and in-house counsel in particular, are becoming involved in crises as advisers. The combination of increasing regulation, proactive consumers and product liability intensifies the need for organisations to have workable crisis management schemes and to know how to use them. Horror stories of the damage caused by an […]
City firm DJ Freeman is offering its staff a new confidential counselling service, as a means of combating stress. The service is being run by Counselling in Companies, an external independent organisation. It offers staff and their spouses a telephone advice service and up to five free counselling sessions. The service is confidential and details […]
CAMERON Markby Hewitt immigration specialist Julia Onslow-Cole has forced the Home Office to concede that there is a legal loophole which allows employers within the EU to hire foreign workers without work permits. Onslow-Cole exploited the loophole to help her UK banking client hire an Indian software specialist working leg- ally in Germany without having […]
Wilde Sapte has dealt the final blow to objectors who called a rural opera a “noise nuisance”. Environment Secretary John Gummer has granted the Garsington Opera Festival planning permission for seven years after a lengthy inquiry. The opera, run by Leonard Ingrams, brother of Bernard Ingrams and based at historic Garsington Manor in Oxfordshire, raised […]
Government proposals for limited liability legislation do not go nearly far enough to satisfy most law firms, according to the experts. Ronnie Fox, senior partner of Fox Williams, described the proposals as “ridiculous”. Some of the Big Six accountancy practices have already expressed their intention to register as limited liability partnerships (LLPs) in Jersey, but […]
Grace Higgins, who successfully fought for a better deal for black and Asian bar students, died after an epileptic fit last month. In 1992, Higgins successfully pressurised the Bar Council and Council of Legal Education into remedying restrictive practises which she felt were contributing to black and Asian people failing their Bar finals. She brought […]