Birmingham firm Shakespeares is looking to recruit a new head for its agricultural law unit following the departure of Nigel Davis. Davis, a leading agricultural lawyer and founder member of the AgriLaw group of specialist lawyers, left Shakespeares to join East Midlands firm Roythorne & Co at the start of this month. Andrew Argyle, managing […]
Edwards Geldard has expanded the medical negligence arm at its Cardiff office to meet increasing demand. Anthony Barnett and Mari Rosser have joined from neighbouring firm Robertsons along with three support staff. Barnett, a solicitor for 36 years, began concentrating on medical negligence cases 12 years ago after winning substantial damages for the family of […]
In the past two years, the number of foreign lawyers taking the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test (QLTT) has increased steadily, according to Colin Gillespie, clerk to the QLTT board. The increase to roughly 600 applicants a year has been largely due to new jurisdictions allowed to sit the test, including the US, South Africa and […]
John Malpas reports A BIRMINGHAM set has been hit by the defection of a quartet of criminal barristers, including one of its most senior tenants. The barristers, led by Stephen Thomas, have moved from 8 Fountain Court to its neighbour 7 Fountain Court. The defection follows the recent death of 8 Fountain Court’s long-standing head […]
On-Site Cleaning Services, of Wandsworth, London SW18, has issued a writ against Sutton man David Brown seeking damages for libel, slander and injurious falsehood. The writ comes after telephone conversations Brown is said to have made to the company’s customers and in letters the company says he threatened to send to customers. The company seeks […]
Medium-sized firms do not possess the resources in finance, space or personnel to match large firms. Nevertheless, they face the same demands for up-to-date legal information and quick access to a wide range of sources is essential. Librarians in medium-sized firms are one-stop information shops. If the information required is not in the library, they […]
Quested v HW Sladden and Co – QBD 18 July 1996 Claimant: Alan Quested, 56 Incident: Asbestosis Injuries: Claimant joined Canterbury-based company (defendants) in 1963 as pipe fitter and worked his way up to become a director of the company in 1990; however, he died in August 1995 of asbestosis said to have developed as […]
The Crown Prosecution Service has endured more than its fair share of knocks since its inception. It was probably the only reverse privatisation to come out of the Thatcher years and the intentions behind its creation were admirable. After concern over the mishandling of prosecutions justice needed a new start, and the CPS was the […]
Stephen Ramsey was born in Stockport on 11 November 1961. He now lives in Witney, Oxfordshire and is company secretary and in-house lawyer at National Wind Power. What was your first job? Bouncer. What was your first ever salary as a lawyer? £8,000. What would you have done if you hadn’t become a lawyer? I […]
Peter Bullock is a partner in the IT department at Masons. The Court of Appeal’s judgment in St Albans v ICL is probably the most important IT law decision this decade. Three issues arise for those involved with commercial software development contracts. First, the software under consideration was undergoing development and a defect caused loss […]
Michael Zander (The Times 6 August) is wise to question the feasibility of Lord Woolf’s proposals. Although it is a truism to say that the legal issues and evidence in “low value” cases can be just as complex and troubling to resolve and obtain as in ‘high value’ cases, the real issue is: who pays […]
It has been suggested by some solicitors that the intervention of Mr Anthony Bogan in the presidential elections affected Mr Mears’ prospects of victory. The voting figures were: Anthony Bogan: 1,288 Martin Mears: 14,239 Mears/Bogan total: 15,527 Anthony Girling: 15,911 Difference: 384 Messrs Mears and Girling do not support Mr Bogan on the important matter […]