Kevin Pettican is a barrister at Warner Cranston. The Civil Jurisdiction and Judgments Act 1982 (Interim Relief) Order 1987, which came into force on 1 April this year, significantly extends the power of the High Court to grant interim relief in support of proceedings taking place in another jurisdiction. Prior to the order, the High […]
Women barristers are to meet the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine, to put pressure on him to set up Labour’s long-planned independent judicial appointments commission, just as Lord Irvine appeared to back away from the commitment. The proposal to include lay people in the process of appointing judges through an independent judicial appointments commission has been […]
The High Court must decide whether two newspapers’ stories were likely to influence a jury’s decision, reports Roger Pearson. Judgment is pending in a contempt of court case involving the Manchester Evening News and the Daily Mail. The Attorney General, John Morris, has accused the newspapers of contempt for publishing stories about a Salford home […]
THE ONLINE law reporting service Lawtel claims it now provides better coverage of recent decisions than any other source. Its new service involves a team of barristers summarising ex tempore or non-written judgments taken from High Court and Court of Appeal cases by Lawtel transcribers which are then placed on-screen the following morning. The service […]
Chris Fogarty reports Council officers could still be financially liable for commercial ventures that fail, despite legislation which aims to clarify Private Finance Initiative (PFI) deals, Nabarro Nathanson partner and local government expert Ray Ambrose has warned. Recently, the courts have found several council officers personally liable for their part in PFI ventures that had […]
Geoffrey Hoon MP, Parliamentary Secretary at the Lord Chancellor’s Department, has reaffirmed the Government’s pledge to halve the time taken between arresting and sentencing persistent young offenders. At present, the average delay stands at more than four months. Addressing a meeting of the Magistrates Courts Consultative Council in London last week, Hoon also promised to […]
Leading insolvency lawyer Stephen Gale is negotiating to leave Hammond Suddards after 11 years as a partner, to help Herbert Smith build up a corporate recovery unit. Gale, currently head of the firm’s 34-lawyer corporate recovery team, moved from Masons in Hong Kong in 1986 to help Hammonds’ insolvency partner Chris Jones build up the […]
Two-partner West End firm Keene Marsland closed last week with the move of one of its partners to London media and entertainment specialists Harbottle & Lewis. Bob Mitchell, who this week joins Harbottle & Lewis as a senior associate in the sports law department, said the split with his partner John Deane was amicable, after […]
The London Borough of Harrow has appointed Gerald Balabanoff as borough secretary and solicitor to council. Balabanoff’s previous post, as property services solicitor at Harrow, has been filled by Nigel Hewitson, from the council’s development department.
Barristers worldwide look set to have an international forum within the International Bar Association (IBA). The initiative, headed by Bar Council chair Robert Owen QC and Malcolm Wallis SC, who is chair of the South Africa Bar, has been prompted by the fact there are no specific meetings at the IBA for the referral bar. […]
Norton Rose advised the Royal Bank of Scotland on lending $60m and £25m to Chelsfield to help pay for its acquisition of the Westbury Hotel, Bond Street, London and the Hotel Westbury, Madison Avenue, New York. Shearman & Sterling advised in New York, and Ashurst Morris Crisp and Handsman and Kaminsky advised Chelsfield on UK […]
Avril Rosemary Munson, 59, admitted 1983, and Jeremy Michael Cooke, 37, admitted 1988, practising at material time as Stevensons, struck off and suspended for five years respectively. Allegations substantiated they acted in a manner that was fraudulent, deceitful and contrary to their positions as solicitors, failed to comply with professional undertakings. Allegation also substantiated against […]