The Government has been forced into an embarrassing U-turn in its shake-up of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) by freezing the appointments of 42 new Chief Crown Prosecutors. In a written answer to a parliamentary question, published last week, Attorney General John Morris QC concedes that the Government’s plans to reorganise the service into 42 […]
John Malpas reports on the Court of Appeal’s decision to strike out a black barrister’s discrimination claims against her former chambers IT WAS almost as if Lord Justice Gibson was waiting for an opportunity to put Joy Okoye in her place. He pounced when she stood up in an attempt to intervene personally during her […]
Staff at the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors (OSS) are being offered gift vouchers to close the file on as many complaints as possible in time for Christmas. The unusual incentive scheme is designed to help the OSS clear up a massive backlog of cases – and comes as the OSS prepares to publish […]
City firm Bristows Cooke & Carpmael has lost its entire construction department to Nicholson Graham & Jones. Bristows has acknowledged that the defection, described by all sides as amicable, has effectively brought to an end to its construction practice. It will focus its resources on developing its reputation as an intellectual property litigation specialist. Three […]
The UK’s three rival “after-the-event” legal insurers met for the first time last week in an attempt to thrash out a common position on conditional fees before discussions with the Lord Chancellor on 2 December. The private meeting on Friday was convened by the Association of British Insurers (ABI). It is understood that a number […]
A SECOND front will be opened up against the Government’s legal reform blueprint when it publishes its consultation paper on raising the small claims threshold from £3,000 to £5,000 this week. The Legal Action Group (LAG) has joined housing lawyers in warning that tenants being victimised and exploited by their landlords will lose out under […]
One of the partners from Oxford firm Dallas Brett, which announced its dissolution last month, is joining Witney firm BrookStreet Des Roches this week. Property, planning and environment partner Richard Smith will join the firm with his assistant and his clients. He follows two other former Dallas Brett partners to the firm. In May, property […]
Simmons & Simmons and Hammond Suddards have added their voices to the chorus of criticism of the Government’s proposals for “stakeholder pensions”. Social security minister John Denham last month issued a consultative document setting out its aim to create “stakeholder pensions” to provide pensions for people without good occupational pension schemes. In a paper responding […]
SIX-partner London commercial practice Steggles Palmer is joining the much larger London and Home Counties firm Kidd Rapinet. Although the move is being described as a merger, it is effectively a takeover by Kidd Rapinet, which has 35 partners operating out of nine offices. The link-up with Steggles came about via an agency. Kidd Rapinet […]
Chambers have reluctantly accepted the value of marketing, but how best to do it remains a mystery to most barristers. When it comes to marketing barristers’ chambers what solicitor can resist a stack of glossy brochures, a couple of cold calls and the odd glass of warm Chardonnay? Surprisingly enough, quite a few. The Bar’s […]
Graham Irwin says that having a good marketing database is essential to nurturing relationships with existing clients and identifying potential markets. Graham Irwin is the principal of specialist legal management consultancy Irwin Associates. Many solicitors are still coming to terms with the idea of marketing their services and confusion still reigns over the difference between […]
A recent High Court ruling should make those who work in the media more aware of “fair dealing” provisions, says Roger Pearson A recent High Court case, in which Mr Justice Lloyd ruled that copyright of market-sensitive data was infringed, is likely to create waves of unrest in media circles. London-based specialists PCR Ltd, which […]