A HIGH Court judge was at the centre of a row last week after publicly criticising the use of council in-house lawyers for child care cases instead of specialist barristers. Mr Justice Thorp was condemned by local authorities and by Henry Hodge, the deputy vice-president of the Law Society. Some council solicitors are said to […]
Ireland Abrahams, TG Baynes & Sons, Minshall Pugh & Co, Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council, Lovell White Durrant and Bircham & Co have all been honoured in the first presentation of the Clarity awards. The awards, sponsored by City firm DJ Freeman, reward clarity in legal language. Winning entries included terms of engagement, information on buying […]
ANNE Rafferty QC will take over as chair of the influential Criminal Bar Association on 1 June after winning the CBA’s first contested election in 10 years. The favourite in the elections and current vice-chair, Rafferty beat two competitors – Rock Tansey QC and Ronald Thwaites QC – to the two-year post. Rafferty, of 4 […]
It was a baptism of fire for Ken Murphy when he took over the role of director-general of the Irish Law Society two months ago. Solicitors advising on tax were included in the so-called “snitchers” law, section 153 of the Finance Bill, to the society’s horror. Murphy’s task was to fight the clause. And fight […]
TWO senior Law Society figures took the attack on government legal aid reforms to the regions last week with a twin-pronged rebuke during a conference in Liverpool. Russell Wallman, head of the society’s professional policy, and Phillip Sycamore, chair of civil litigation committee, criticised the proposals in separate speeches at the Liverpool Law Society conference […]
CRIME suspects have been given greater powers to mount a legal challenge to police cautions in a crucial High Court ruling announced last week. Two judges decided that a caution could be subjected to judicial review if there had been a clear breach of Home Office guidelines. Lord Justice Simon Brown and Mr Justice Curtis […]
Unprecedented merger mania facing the building society sector, reaching a head after several years of market uncertainty, is creating significant demand for lawyers’ services. The leading regional commercial firms are benefiting, yet also feeling a cold draught of anticipation as to whether clients considering merger will be able to retain them. City firms have been […]
IN-HOUSE lawyers must assert vigorous control over external lawyers and should involve their business colleagues in their company’s legal affairs, an in-house conference heard. Lawyers who gathered at the Law Society earlier this month to discuss relationships with external lawyers spoke of the need for a flexible but strictly policed working relationship with outside firms. […]
LONDON two-office firm Abbot Cresswell has been put into administration, the status under insolvency law often referred to as a “company rescue”. The firm is believed to be the first solicitors’ practice to take advantage of new insolvency law allowing partnerships to do so, avoiding the often lengthy process of Individual Voluntary Arrangements for all […]
LOVELL White Durrant has finally succumbed to “market forces” and decided to drop private client work. The firm’s two partner and seven fee earner private client team is in talks with a number of London firms with the aim of transferring the whole department, a move made by many of the other City firms in […]
AS A six-figure earner in one of the country’s big name law firms Jill Andrew seemed to have it all. So when the high-profile employment partner quit the City earlier this year to move to a three-member niche practice, the legal world was left stunned. The first woman director of the Chamber of Commerce and […]
Halliwell Landau advised Coral Products on its admission to the Official List of the London Stock Exchange by way of a placing