Government proposals for a new company voluntary arrangement (CVA) procedure, advocated by the Insolvency Service, could make the legal framework for business rescue more uncertain and encourage insolvency practitioners to be more conservative and less commercial in their efforts, claims the Society of Practitioners of Insolvency (SPI). SPI says that if the Government gets it […]
The legal press is once again full of merger rumours, speculation and announcements. While the recession induced hiatus stemmed the unprecedented growth experienced by firms in the mid-1980s, a number of firms are once again blazing the merger trail while yet more firms have restored consideration of this topic to their partnership meeting agendas. An […]
A course for lawyers, ‘Handling the media’, has been launched by legal PR consultant Sandra Hewett. The course is designed to provide interview skills, enable lawyers to promote their firm and help litigators understand what can and cannot be said to the media. Guest speaker for part of the course will be Sue Stapely, head […]
EDINBURGH firm Anderson Strathern chose the city’s port of Leith to launch its new specialist liability insurance unit, believed to be the first of its kind in Scotland. Putting all hands on deck at the Tall Ships Race are (l-r) partners Ruari MacNeill, Robert Carr, Robert Fife and John Reid. They are key advisers in […]
WHITE collar criminals locked up in the Australian state of New South Wales could be forced to pay AUS$50,000 (£22,000) a year for their stay in prison if a law proposed by the state’s premier is passed. In an unprecedented move Bob Carr has announced plans to charge white collar offenders and prisoners jailed for […]
LEGAL AID looks destined for further radical change following the system’s mauling by the Commons’ Public Accounts Committee last week. The Lord Chancellor’s Department has been given less than three months to find a solution to Green Form fraud and incomplete eligibility tests. Potential victims are the Green Form scheme itself and the practice of […]
Helen Sage reports Norwel gets City work Norwel Computer Services has won a major contract from City law firm Berwin Leighton which has just completed an extensive IT review. The order is for the Norwel practice management system which includes computer aided billing, client marketing and Norwel’s fee earner desktop product incorporating on-line time recording […]
THE BAR and the Law Society say they want to see safeguards built in to any new statutory scheme governing disclosure of evidence in criminal cases. Joining forces in response to Home Secretary Michael Howard’s consultation paper on disclosure, the two representative bodies say the prosecution should be required to draw up a schedule of […]
DEFAMATION lawyer Geraldine Proudler has finally taken up her partnership at Olswang as the London firm boosts its media practice with a batch of new recruits. Proudler joins almost a year after resigning as head of defamation at Lovell White Durrant. She declined to comment on the delay, but it is believed that there had […]
THE HONG Kong Law Society has condemned plans to abolish scale fees for conveyancing in its response to the government’s consultation paper on legal services. The response, presented to the Attorney General on 30 July, agrees with the government on points including rights of audience for solicitors in the High Court and the abolition of […]
CITY firm Nicholson Graham & Jones’ long-standing marketing director Paul Jaffa is to leave the firm by mutual agreement this autumn. His departure coincides with NG&J’s merger talks with West End practice Brecher & Co, revealed in The Lawyer last week. However, the firm says the two events are unconnected. Michael Johns, NG&J managing partner, […]
Lawyers attempting to overturn the convictions of the four Guinness defendants have won a court order forcing the Serious Fraud Office to give them all relevant undisclosed material by 14 August. The lawyers had expressed concern that the SFO was slow in disclosing some papers, and had pressed for disclosure of further files on Guinness […]