John Malpas reports CASH-LIMITED block legal aid contracts giving solicitors a free hand to save money by ignoring barristers must be resisted, according to the Bar Council’s legal aid expert. Peter Birts, chair of the council’s legal aid and fees committee, has come out firmly against the central tenets of the Lord Chancellor’s Green Paper. […]
PROPERTY solicitors have complained to the Law Society over its plans for a quality standard for conveyancing firms following a tense annual meeting. The Solicitors’ Property Group (SPG) has written to the society condemning the idea and the rapid timetable for its introduction. The complaint follows a row over how the society sought consultation. Two […]
Top names advised on the Heron Corporation’s completion of a £60 million syndicated loan facility
One theme of Martin Mears’ Law Society presidential campaign has been the divide between Chancery Lane and the profession’s interests and views. How far is this true of the society’s role in the training of the profession? In this field the Law Society has an impossible job. It is at the same time regulator and […]
Former navy mechanic Ian Liddle who was severely injured in an accident last year is suing the Ministry of Defence. Liddle, of Portsmouth, lost one eye and suffered head injuries after being trapped and crushed by a lift while working on HMS Illustrious in January 1994. His writ says a lift above him was activated […]
Since the 1900s international trade has increased by 70 per cent and even greater levels of growth are expected in the future. As international trade continues to grow, lawyers are likely to be asked more frequently how their clients should react to requests for payments to oil the wheels and secure the contract. But, this […]
SOLICITOR advocates say that Bar Council proposals to make it easier for solicitors to join the Bar are overdue but are unlikely to entice them to make the transition. While the Bar may enjoy the benefit of lower overheads, solicitor advocates reject Bar Council claims that they would gain any more “guaranteed independence”. They blame […]
Guildford and Farnham firm Stevens & Bolton has joined Euro-Link for Lawyers, the largest worldwide network for medium-sized law firms. Established in 1989, Euro-Link has more than 80 members, including law firms and in-house lawyers from major companies throughout Europe. Stevens & Bolton partner Richard King says the wide range of specialist advice available through […]
THE LORD Chancellor’s advisers are in apparent deadlock over extended rights of audience for in-house and CPS solicitors. After months of deliberation, a majority of the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Legal Education has rejected the in-house case for extended advocacy rights. But Law Society president Charles Elly told the society’s council last week he […]
April 1993: A secret Chancery Lane investigation is launched after Eileen Pembridge complains to the then-president Mark Sheldon about recently elected deputy vice-president John Young. Two years later she publicly speaks of “numerous allegations” of sexual harassment against him. Young is privately warned over the incidents regarded as “disturbing” by Sheldon. March 1995: Martin Mears, […]
An early Appeal Court date and a House of Lords sequel look likely in a bid to achieve a definitive ruling on the interpretation and application of Common Market personal import provisions. The case focus is a recent High Court judgment regarding the Customs and Excise stance over interpretation of personal import concessions which allow […]
FIVE senior lawyers are among 27 people due to lose their jobs following a streamlining exercise at a Bristol law firm. Three partners, two fee-earners and 22 support staff were made redundant following a management shake-up at JW Ward & Son. Some of the other partners have taken up new roles as consultants and a […]