Nicholas Dobson reports The sleeping spell over local authority trading once cast by the Audit Commission has now been dispelled by an unlikely prince. The Department of the Environment (DoE), which oversees local authorities, has given a cautious green light in the debate over municipal trading and the Local Authorities (Goods and Services) Act 1970. […]
Competition for the elusive training contract has never been tougher. The extent to which the student and would-be solicitor must strive to stand out above the deluge of other candidates for any law-related job is a testament to the professions enduring attractions. While this may have been facilitated by the Law Society’s progressive initiatives, there […]
Lord Woolf, currently reviewing access to civil justice, has published six issues papers inviting views from civil courts users. They cover: the fast track procedure proposals, multi-party actions, medical negligence cases, housing cases, expert evidence and costs. In his interim report, Lord Woolf proposed a fast track for cases up to £10,000 with limited procedures […]
BIG SIX accountancy firm Price Waterhouse is set to take on City lawyers by establishing a legal practice this spring. The move could be the tip of the iceberg, with two other top accountancy firms rumoured to be going down the same path. The Price Waterhouse decision, described as a “terrifying prospect” by one City […]
The recent £110 million award against accountancy firm Binder Hamlyn has predictably led to calls for changes to limit the personal liability of partners as individuals. Limited liability partnerships have been suggested as one solution (The Lawyer, 19 December 1995) and even contractual limitations on liability are being discussed. However, the danger is that these […]
LEADING trade union firm Russell Jones &Walker says it has secured the first ever compensation agreement for repetitive strain injury (RSI) sufferers without resorting to court action. The agreement negotiated with the Inland Revenue encourages a system of dispute resolutions without the need for expensive court action. Sixteen of the most commonly identified conditions suffered […]
CROWN Prosecution Service lawyers are setting out on a pilot scheme at six police stations to provide on-the-spot legal advice to police officers. The scheme, announced by the CPS last December, is designed to improve liaison between the two agencies and to ensure more appropriate charging of suspects. Law Society criminal law committee secretary Roger […]
TWO firms representing deformed children of Gulf War veterans say they will not wait for official research into possible links between Gulf War Syndrome and birth defects to fight for compensation. The Ministry of Defence announced last week that it would carry out the three-year study, which is a partial victory for the 500 veterans […]
The Bar Council is investing thousands of pounds in extra resources for dealing with expected hefty increases in complaints against barristers. The increase stems in part from a new complaints system, overwhelmingly endorsed in a council meeting last week, which will introduce a compensation scheme for the new charge of ‘inadequate professional services’. The system, […]
Eversheds has appointed a new director of administration from property adviser Debenham Tewson & Chinnocks. Peter Gore was managing director of Debenhams for eight years and will be director for the Eversheds national team. Peter Cole, Evershed’s national managing partner, said: “Peter will be playing a valuable role in our development as a national law […]
Austin Mitchell MP, chair of the National Legal Services Group, has called for the creation of a national legal service provided by salaried staff. He outlines his proposals in the February issue of Legal Action, the Legal Action Group’s journal. He says such a service, made up of a network of law centres and a […]
Leading tax adviser Ernst & Young has recruited a barrister to its VAT litigation group. Mitchell Moss, who started at the firm last week, has spent two years working in the Customs and Excise advisory division where he was involved in policy issues and with the application of VAT in complex areas of the law.