Employment law has long been seen as a Cinderella specialisation. With a few exceptions, the best-regarded employment departments have bypassed the top City firms and are to be found in medium-sized practices. Fraser Younson, senior employment partner at Baker & McKenzie and chair of the Employment Lawyers Association, says: “As much as 10 per cent […]
The second year of The Lawyer/Hifal awards saw an impressive turnout of bow-tied, animated lawyers, all hoping to attract a round of applause at the Dorchester Hotel last Friday night. The gala event was co-hosted by actress Honor Blackman and barrister Graham Davies who presented London and Manchester firm Leigh Day & Co with the […]
Senior clerk Douglas Neave has resigned from Brick Court Chambers, the chambers of Attorney General Sir Nicholas Lyell, in what head of chambers Christopher Clarke QC described as an “amicable parting of the ways”. Clarke added that the tenants were sorry to see Neave go after more than five years as senior clerk. Neave was […]
South Wales and London firm Morgan Bruce has won the contract to provide legal services to the Human Fertilisation Embryology Authority. The firm, awarded the contract from a short-list of seven firms, will provide advice on issues relating to HFEA legislation and policy. The regulatory body, formed in 1990, controls the activity of clinics carrying […]
Political factors are likely to have a major impact on the practice of employment law, according to The Lawyer survey. When asked what issues will most affect this area of practice, 95 per cent cited a change of government. Other issues are already making an impact on employment law, including European legislation and case law, […]
Radical proposals for a new legal education system, announced last week by advisers to the Lord Chancellor’s Department, have met with mixed reactions from lawyers and academics. The introduction of a common element of training for solicitors and barristers which would increase the number of training stages for lawyers was generally welcomed. But an extension […]
A data protection system for Windows applications has been launched by Visionsoft. Winlock allows users to attach passwords to any application they want to protect. The program can restrict access to Windows applications and icons, including File Manager, and also to DOS applications. The program is aimed at medium-sized firms with between 10 and 500 […]
UK lawyers have called for a more public and accountable system for working out compensation for miscarriages of justice in the wake of the furore over the Birmingham Six compensation award. Criminal and judicial review lawyers have poured scorn on the discretionary £316,000 offered to Birmingham Six member Paddy Hill last year but say his […]
In-house lawyers are finding it difficult to meet the increasing demands for specialist knowledge, according to a recent survey carried out by Eversheds. The survey revealed that in-house lawyers are facing increasing pressure, with 18 per cent feeling a greater range of expertise is required of them. However, 73 per cent of companies questioned had […]
Scottish part-time employees potentially have greater rights than their English counterparts as a result of the differences in approach to the time-bar adopted by the Scottish Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT). Prior to the landmark House of Lords decision in R v Secretary of State for Employment, ex parte EOC (1994), employees who worked for fewer […]
The Government’s decision to block two massive takeover bids in the electricity industry has caught City law firms by surprise. Teams of lawyers from a clutch of big firms had been advising companies involved in the latest wave of consolidation sweeping the sector. Tim Clarke has led for Linklaters & Paines, which is instructed by […]
Anthony Grabiner QC’s specialist commercial chambers at 1 Essex Court has produced a new-style chambers brochure in an effort to meet the growing request from instructing solicitors for detailed information. The brochure, which provides information on all 48 tenants, including scope of practice and experience, runs to over 60 pages. It was produced in-house on […]