Leading lawyers have voted to set up a pro bono group to boost the amount of pro bono work being carried out by the profession. The decision was made at a meeting of lawyers organised by charity lawyer Andrew Phillips and backed by the Law Society and the charity Business in the Community. The make-up […]
Garrett & Co is on the recruitment warpath yet again following the headhunting of Philip Ruttley, head of the EC department at City firm Watson Farley & Williams. Ruttley has been appointed Garretts’ head of EC and international trade practice, which has two partners and seven assistants, although he said he would be recruiting more […]
Staff at Outer London’s 20 Magistrates Courts are to undergo compulsory training in a bid to improve race relations within the courtroom. A budget of £10,000 has been set aside for this financial year to fund the cultural sensitivity training sessions, which are designed to make magistrates and support staff more aware of issues such […]
The Government is investigating the possibility of setting up an environment court. Professor Malcolm Grant, who heads the Department of Land Economy at Cambridge University, has been appointed to examine specialist and integrated environment courts that have been established overseas. Grant, who chairs the Local Government Commission for England and has edited a number of […]
The government has made its first firm commitment to introducing limited liability legislation in the UK. Ian Lang, the Trade and Industry Secretary, said in a parliamentary written answer last week that he would publish proposals for legislation before Easter, but did not reveal whether partnerships would have to disclose more financial information in return […]
International lawyer Reinhard Hermes has joined US firm Morgan Lewis & Bockius’s Frankfurt office as the firm’s first German partner. He has joined the firm from the Frankfurt office of US firm Cleary Gottleib Steen & Hamilton. Hermes is admitted to the German bar and the New York bar. His practice focuses on foreign investment […]
In a bid to take on the Big Six accountants on their own turf, Hammond Suddards has appointed two solicitors to create a VAT and indirect tax group, becoming one of the first law firms in the country with such a group. The two are Nigel Gibbon, former head of the VAT and excise division […]
Two Chinese lawyers have arrived in the UK to take part in a new advanced training scheme run by the Law Society and Bar Council’s working party on relations with lawyers in China. The lawyers, Hu Xiaodong, from Beijing, and Zhu Wei, from Shanghai, will each spend nine months at City firms Simmons & Simmons […]
Heads will not roll following the £13m shortfall in the Solicitors Indemnity Fund because no single person can be identified as responsible, Law Society president Tony Girling has said. The SIF board met last week to hear a report on the error, which stated that the team responsible for making the projections for contributions for […]
Accountants have called on the big City law firms to join them in asking the Government for a review of the legislation on joint and several liability. Eighteen professional bodies, including the Institute of Chartered Accountants and the CBI, last week wrote to the Trade and Industry secretary Ian Lang calling for a review. Gerry […]
High Court action has been launched over cancellation of proposed appearances of ice dance stars Torvill and Dean at last year’s Edinburgh Festival. Phil McIntyre Promotions, (PMP) of Preston, promoter of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, is suing Festival Fringe Society, of Edinburgh, for more than £170,000. The writ claims PMP paid £4,500 for a […]
Compulsory minimum salaries for trainee solicitors could be threatened by a revelation that the move has never had official legal backing. The news, revealed at the Trainee Solicitors Group annual conference earlier this month, could affect the group’s argument to retain compulsory minimum salaries. Law Society President Tony Girling and training committee chairman Simon Baker […]