Your 11 June report of the conclusion of the libel action brought by Liz Davies against the Financial Times incorrectly stated the paper had offered a public apology. The paper made a small payment into court without admission of liability. It did not participate in the subsequent statement in open court nor did it offer […]
Corporate finance partner Jonathan Metliss, of SJ Berwin & Co, has been appointed to the Department of Trade and Industry’s Committee on South Africa Trade (Cosat). The committee advises Ian Lang, president of the Board of Trade, and Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind on ways to boost trade links with South Africa. Metliss is the only […]
Barbara Hewson is a barrister at 12 Gray’s Inn Square. On 23 May, in Hedley Lomas (Ireland) v MAFF [C-5/94], the European Court of Justice (ECJ) delivered another landmark ruling on the liability of member states over infringement of their community obligations. This was another article 177 reference from a British court, seeking clarification of […]
Scottish law firm Bird Semple has scooped the prestige appointment of legal adviser to Taiwan group Chunghwa Picture Tubes, which is building a £250 million factory in Lanarkshire employing 3,000 workers. Semple is advising on a range of issues, including the purchase or leasing of equipment and machinery. Chunghwa manufactures computer display monitors. Bird Semple […]
Paula Sparks is a barrister and senior legal worker with Avma. Talk to specialist medical negligence solicitors and most will tell you that one of the most frustrating problems they face is a shortage of competent junior counsel. In a recent survey of referral panel solicitors undertaken by charity group Action for Victims of Medical […]
City-based law firm Richards Butler has made two of its Abu Dhabi office partners. They are Mohammed Syed and Rhys Lewis. Syed is an advocate to the High Court of Pakistan and a member of both the Punjab Bar Council and the International Bar Association. Lewis qualified in the UK in 1987 and has worked […]
Not long ago, the decision over whether to use the High Court or county court for debt recovery was easy. With limited exceptions, claims over £600 were made in the High Court – it was quicker, had better control of paperwork and had a sheriff who was more successful in enforcement than his county court […]
The Personal Injury Bar Association (Piba) was set up in March 1995 to represent barristers in England and Wales who specialise in this area of practice. According to the secretary of the group, Matthias Kelly, one of the reasons why it was set up was because the interests of PI barristers were not being covered […]
Dundas & Wilson has been appointed to act on behalf of the joint receivers of the three companies in the Capital Foods Group. Capital Foods operates more than 60 shops in Scotland, employing over 500 staff. The case will be handled by Dundas’ new partners Graeme Henry and Michael Hughes, who are involved in developing […]
Helen Sage reports The Society of County Secretaries (SOCS) is to merge with the Association of Council Secretaries and Solicitors (ACSeS) to raise the profile of the profession. The 110 county secretaries will join ACSeS on 1 November this year, completing a merger which was abandoned in 1993 and 1994 because of uncertainty over the […]
Nicholas Paines, of Monckton Chambers, was elected as the new chair of the Bar European Group at the group’s AGM on 12 June. Peter Duffy of Essex Court Chambers was elected vice-chair. Paines first task will be to organise the group’s annual garden party held jointly with the Solicitors’ European group on 4 July. The […]
LAW firms sending staff to China are being offered courses on undertaking business in the country by the University of Glamorgan Law School, which has just signed a partnership deal with China’s top law school. Under the agreement signed on 7 June, Glamorgan will become the first European partner of the100-year-old University of Peking. The […]