I write with reference to the article by Lawrence Abramson on the recent decision of the Court of Appeal to allow directions on personal injury damages to assist libel juries (The Lawyer 16 January ‘Damages made good’). Mr Abramson referred to the David Ashby libel case as being the first libel action since the Court […]
DJ Freeman advised Ravenseft Industrial Estates, the industrial arm of Land Securities, in its £5.7 million acquisition of the 102,955 sq ft Frogmore Industrial Estate, London NW10, from Frogmore Investments, advised by Mishcon de Reya.
Personal injury specialist Leigh Day & Co, which is representing tobacco victims, has called on UK tobacco companies to settle claims after the first settlements for American victims by US company Liggett were announced last week. Legal aid was granted last year to allow Leigh Day & Co to carry out investigations on the strength […]
The GENERAL public should have access to European Union meetings on proposed legislation, according to a manifesto issued by the Law Society of England and Wales. It was prepared by the Brussels office for the 1996 European Intergovernmental Con- ference (IGC), starting in Turin later this month. The paper claims the public should also have […]
CITY firm Linklaters & Paines is relocating its revamped IT system to Essex. The Nextstep desktop operating system, which has taken 15 months to install, will be based in a purpose-built unit in Colchester along with 40 IT support staff. The firm’s head of IT Andrew Taylor will remain in Linklaters’ City office with a […]
LEADING Canadian firms Olgivy Renault and Osler Hoskin & Harcourt (OHH) are demerging their international partnership, Osler Renault. The two firms, which practise separately in Canada, established a joint international venture in 1989, establishing Osler Renault offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and London. OHH partner in London David Drinkwater said the demerger followed Olgivy Renault’s […]
THE COUNTRY’S 20,000 solicitors who practise family law could be consulted as to whether they should be governed by an accreditation scheme. As part of her latest drive to introduce accreditation, Hilary Siddle, chair of the Law Society’s family law committee, has suggested that a questionnaire should be sent out to all family lawyers. Siddle, […]
PRICE Waterhouse has appointed Paul Downing, managing partner of the London office of Pinsent Curtis, to head its network of European law firms. The move, which centres Price Waterhouse’s network in London, was announced last Friday to the Pinsent Curtis partnership. Downing will join Arnheim & Co, headed by ex-Hammonds Suddard partner Christopher Arnheim, in […]
ACCOUNTANCY firm KPMG’s annual ‘fraud barometer’ reveals a 42 per cent increase in the number of lawyers and accountants charged with serious fraud. Partner in KPMG’s fraud investigation unit Adam Bates said although the figures for lawyers and accountants were lumped together, most cases related to lawyers. The barometer recorded 17 lawyers and accountants charged […]
There may be no formalised professional negligence Bar, but our soundings of the sector have uncovered names to watch The term ‘professional negligence’ might seem a contradiction in terms. But oxymoron or not, it has been an extremely lucrative area of practice for lawyers. Unfortunately, there is also a down side. Solicitors (and occasionally barristers) […]
One of Lord Woolf’s Access to Justice inquiry team members will address a conference by the National Council for Access to Law. District judge Dick Greenslade will lead the one-day event in addressing issues ranging from how litigants in person should present their cases and how changes to civil court claim limits will affect solicitors, […]
Manchester firm Halliwell Landau assisted in the sale of The New Statesman magazine, following the High Court clearing the way for transactions to proceed. The deal will transfer the publication’s assets and liabilities to new owner, Labour MP Geoffrey Robinson. It was sanctioned by Mr Justice Harman in the Companies Court. The sale follows the […]