CITY firm Fox Williams has successfully marketed a legal guide to the Internet by including an order form for the booklet on its Web site. The firm has so far received more than 100 orders for the booklet, called The Internet: a Legal Survival Guide for Business, written by its IT partner Nigel Miller. “We […]
The best result for a client is invariably satisfactory settlement of a claim – even at the doors of the court – rather than a fully contested action. From the lawyer’s point of view, however, such an outcome can result in a hearing that may have clarified an important legal point being thwarted. This appears […]
A NATIONAL inquiry into child abuse has prompted calls for compulsory accreditation and performance monitoring for all lawyers working with at-risk children. The National Commission of Inquiry into the Prevention of Child Abuse, chaired by Lord Williams of Mostyn, published findings last month that were highly critical of the legal system’s handling of child abuse […]
McKenna & Co’s corporate partner Richard Price has advised a unique consortium that has won a £500m 15-year PFI contract from the Ministry of Defence to set up and run the army, air force and navy helicopter pilot training school. It is the largest PFI contract the MoD has so far awarded. Price commented: “It’s […]
The Crime (Sentences) Bill was born at the Conservative Party Conference in 1995. The slogan was: “If you don’t want the time, don’t do the crime.” The message from the Home Secretary, with vocal support from the tabloid press, was that prison deters, and more prison deters more. The crime bill has two central proposals: […]
A query has been raised over the long-standing High Court Chancery Division practice of imposing permanent injunctions banning music licence infringers from playing music until they take out current licences and clear their back licence fees. Phonographic Performance (PPL) has beaten a regular trail to the High Court seeking judgment in default against those caught […]
DENTON Hall has pulled out of merger talks with Cameron Markby Hewitt and McKenna & Co at the eleventh hour. Although the firm was last week still denying it had even entered talks with McKennas and Camerons, negotiations have been in progress between the firms for several months. It is understood that the two other […]
Salaries are up by between 5 and 10 per cent on average for assistant solicitors this year, but there is an ever longer wait for partnership, according to a survey conducted by The Lawyer and recruitment firm Michael Page Legal. The economic upturn has meant that almost every newly qualified solicitor in London or regional […]
Death Row prisoners in the Bahamas may have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment following a landmark Privy Council ruling. The council commuted the sentences of two Bahamians after ruling that the delay that had occurred between their convictions and the launching of their appeal procedures, was “cruel” and “inhumane”. It has ruled that a […]
An umbrella organisation to help professional witnesses was launched last Friday (8 November) by Lord Woolf, Master of the Rolls. The Expert Witness Institute aims to insure professionals have the necessary education, training, support and ability. The institute, set up as a rival to the Academy of Experts, aims to encourage people with relevant expertise […]
Barrister David Berkley, of newly-opened Manchester set Merchant Chambers, has said that specialisation need not be the preserve of London chambers. Merchant Chambers, which opened its doors on 4 November, will focus on serving the business and banking communities and offer a greater degree of specialisation than existing Manchester common law sets. “We’re trying to […]
Linklaters & Paines and Baker & McKenzie are still the world’s leading law firms for privately-financed infrastructure deals, according to a survey by Privatisation International magazine. Linklaters came top of the deal value table with a total value of $94.5bn, followed by Baker & McKenzie with $76.9bn. Bakers advised on the most deals: 172 compared […]