Ormerod Wilkinson Marshall and The Heap Partnership are merging to form the largest firm in Croydon, south-east London. OWM is headed by former Law Society president Sir John Wickerson. The alliance comes as OWM loses its head of litigation, John Wilkinson, who has been appointed a district judge by the Lord Chancellor. He takes up […]
The International Bar Association has appointed the first woman chair to its migration and nationality committee in the shape of 36-year old Julia Onslow-Cole, of Cameron Markby Hewitt. The committee consists of about 400 immigration lawyers from around the world who meet at seminars two or three times a year. The next gathering is in […]
The policies behind airline fares are scheduled to come under the High Court spotlight. Easyjet Airline is taking KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to court seeking damages over an allegedly “predatory” fares policy. Easyjet is seeking an injunction and damages under the provisions of European law accusing KLM of abuse of its dominant position in scheduled […]
With demand for space at the Inns of Court continuing to outstrip supply, the search for hidden space within the Inns carries on apace. Chair of the Middle Temple Estates Committee David Eady QC, of 1 Brick Court, says: “We are always looking for ways of expanding the space available. Every time something comes up […]
Media, technology and entertainment firm Olswang has launched its own 150-page Web site. The site includes a search engine, a glossary of legal terms and topics, biographies and photos of all lawyers at the firm, and links to clients’ Web sites. It also has a “not just grey suits” section with an interactive map of […]
Pauline Edwards, of Darwen, Lancashire, who was badly injured in an accident at a sixth form college, is suing the college authorities. She has issued a writ against the St John Rigby Sixth Form College, of Orrell, Wigan, claiming her injuries were caused by the negligence and breach of statutory duty on the part of […]
Legal bodies campaigning to stop social security benefits being clawed back from accident victims are hoping to see their efforts pay off later this year. Social Security Minister Roger Evans is expected to propose new legislation to change the clawback system this autumn, following years of campaigning by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (Apil), […]
Dibb Lupton Broomhead and Alsop Wilkinson are believed to be in merger talks to form the fifth largest law firm in the UK. Talks between the two regional firms are understood to be at an advanced stage and proposals will soon be put before partners in each practice. If a deal is struck, Dibbs will […]
The admissions procedure of Northern Ireland’s Institute of Professional Legal Studies has come under scrutiny from an independent audit team. The team is examining the vocational course which allows students to qualify as lawyers in the province and which has come under fire recently from leading law firms. The firms claim that promising students cannot […]
On 19 July, Justice Ian Kennedy struck out the last of the benzodiazepine cases as an abuse of process and for inordinate delay. The litigation began in 1988. There were about 17,000 claimants who made allegations of adverse effects against the manufacturers and prescribers of these products, which were designed to relieve anxiety and were […]
According to estate agents, the three most important factors when considering a move are location, location, location. For London law firms, being in the square mile of the City is close to their client-base and is convenient and prestigious. In Birmingham, the City equivalent is Colmore Row, which has been dubbed anything from the ‘square […]
Manchester firm Linder Myers has appointed Tom Jones as an associate. Jones was at the Property Law Practice in Manchester and before that he was a company solicitor at the northern region of Ideal Homes Holdings, the house building arm of Trafalgar House. He will be building on Linder Myers’ strength in litigation and company […]