Cyril Dixon reports BARRISTERS and solicitors appearing in planning inquiries face strict new guidelines to prevent ‘time- wasting’ during cross-examination. Inspectors could be urged to intervene during lengthy exchanges or to impose time limits on opening statements. The measures are among recommendations made by a firm of independent consultants following a survey of customer attitudes […]
LORD Woolf has called on the Government to hand pick a top judge to overhaul the civil justice system in England and Wales. The proposed appointment of a head of civil justice is among a raft of reforms suggested by the Law Lord in his interim report on access to justice. Woolf, who has ruled […]
CITY and Home Counties practice Penningtons is believed to be in talks over the future of one of its offices. The firm will not confirm that it is holding the talks with partners from its Bournemouth office but a decision is expected to be reached this week. The talks are thought to centre around the […]
The Bar Council AGM, in the panelled Great Hall at Lincoln’s Inn, amply demonstrated two distinct groups co-existing at the Bar. Each group held such entirely contrary views of the world that they could only call to each other distantly across the void. One represented the middle ground. This included many of the regional and […]
Cross-border debt recovery – is there a peace dividend for Irish lawyers? Over the past 25 years, Irish lawyers, both north and south of the border, have tended to continue with their day-to-day business without a great deal of interaction. The two business communities have tended to cater for their own and, with a few […]
A High Wycombe artist whose work has suffered as a result of injuries to his little finger is suing Brent and Harrow Health Authority. He accuses it of negligence in its treatment of him at Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow. John Easterling claims that because of lack of effective treatment he can no longer carry out […]
A NEW combined professional development unit designed to provide a one-stop training shop for lawyers in the UK has been launched by the College of Law. The unit links the college’s Professional Skills Course and its Continuous Professional Development programme with video training service Legal Network Television (LNTV). Based at the college’s Bream’s Buildings premises, […]
INFOTECH Everyone is talking about the Internet but is it of any commercial use to law firms developing their practice? Articles appear every week on connectivity, service providers and the wide range of facilities available, but what are the strengths and weaknesses of the system from the viewpoint of a firm of solicitors. Email is […]
As with many areas of law practice, it is critical for the right person to be dealing with the right job. While this firm’s asset recovery and consumer credit department is computerised in relation to its straightforward debt actions, certain aspects of the debt recovery process simply do not require qualified lawyers to be involved […]
THE WATCHDOG for legal services is being bogged down by a shortage of staff and the rise of complaints at a rate of 30 per cent per year. Those who complain to the Legal Services Ombudsman are being told they face a wait of six months for their problem to be investigated. Ombudsman Michael Barnes […]
People think more highly of solicitors than they do of bank managers and estate agents – according to the Law Society report, ‘Client perceptions’, prepared by the society’s research and policy planning unit. This is a report with attitude. A total of 1,630 people were questioned in a survey commissioned by the Law Society. The […]
Cyril Dixon reports SENIOR Hackney Council executive Sam Yeboah is suing satirical magazine Private Eye for libel over stories which he claims implicated him in fraud and corruption. Yeboah, director of human resources at the east London authority, has issued a writ over two pieces which appeared in the magazine’s local government section. Robin Lewis, […]