Birmingham may have lost its battle to host the Millennium Exhibition but England’s second city had much to celebrate in 1995. It was a record year for acquisitions in the Midlands, its upbeat economy reflecting the UK as a whole, according to research by KPMG Corporate Finance. During the period 1994 to 1995, West Midlands-based […]
LORD Mackay has made a thinly-veiled plea for patience in response to a volley of parliamentary questions about his alleged “delays” in reaching a decision over higher court rights of audience for employed solicitors. In a written answer to the latest of three questions tabled by Lord Ackner on the issue, the Lord Chancellor said […]
Diana Courtney has become both the first solicitor and the first woman to be appointed president of the City Property Association in its 92-year history. She is a senior property partner at City law firm Denton Hall and a non-executive director of the Bradford and Bingley. The CPA represents property owners and occupiers in the […]
THE College of Law is planning a series of conferences to help lawyers assess the implications of no win, no fee cases. Parliament introduced conditional fee regulations a year ago and the college aims to explore the experience of firms that have made use of the procedure. Kerry Underwood, principal of Underwoods, St Albans, and […]
THE FIRST concrete indication of the level of support enjoyed by Law Society president Martin Mears since his election is the tantalising prospect of a Law Society by-election next month. The contested election for the Law Society Council’s Merseyside and District constituency on 24 May will pit a strong Mears supporter against a well-known local […]
Stipendiary magistrates should work in partnership with lay magistrates by having regular meetings with them and moving from courtroom to courtroom, a working party is recommending. The working party was set up by the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice following a recommendation by the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice that there should be […]
Judge John H Roberts has been appointed a member of the ethnic minorities advisory committee of the Judicial Studies Board by the Lord Chancellor. Judge Roberts, a Northern Circuit judge since 1993, succeeds Judge Nicholas Medawar. The board approves judicial study programmes and the committee is one of five that carry out its work.
BAR Council chair David Penry-Davey QC has joined senior judges in criticising Home Secretary Michael Howard’s mandatory sentencing plans. Penry-Davey said the plans – a flagship government policy – would cause injustice and would not work. “The evidence suggests that harsher and harsher sentences only have a minimal effect on crime,” he said. “The real […]
Fulham Legal Advice Centre is seeking volunteer solicitors and barristers for evening advice sessions held each Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Anyone willing to help can contact the centre on 0171 731 2401.
ONE of London’s leading legal aid firms, Hodge Jones & Allen, is among three firms joining LawGroup UK. The firm, headed by Law Society council member and defeated presidential candidate Henry Hodge, was impressed by the profit per equity partner figures achieved by LawGroup. LawGroup head Arwyn Lewis said: “The figure has improved by an […]
‘Practice of international commercial arbitration’ Prague, 18-21 April. Organised by the International Association of Young Lawyers. The conference will cover arbitration in the Czech Republic; comparisons of arbitration and litigation; how to choose an arbiter and how to become one; fields where disputes cannot be arbitrated and arbitration alternatives. Contact (+32) 2 347 2808. ‘Investing […]
LAWYERS in Lancaster are celebrating a three-year stay of execution for an historic crown court threatened with closure. A six-month campaign to keep the court open succeeded when the Lord Chancellor’s Department agreed to review plans to transfer work from ancient Lancaster Castle to a new court complex at Preston. Closure would have ended Lancaster’s […]