* The House of Lords has agreed to hear an appeal which will examine rules relating to defence access to privileged documentation. In the case of R v Derby Magistrates Court ex parte Brookes, it will rule on what the Divisional Court has certified as the following point of law: “Whether a witness summons may […]
May 31 has been set as the date for the trial of Kevin and Ian Maxwell, Larry Trachtenberg and others on multi-million pound fraud charges.
Jane Wessel Where a situation exists involving complex and technical litigation in the UK and US, a real danger arises if the same expert is used in both cases. A case concerning patent disputes is currently pending in the US Federal Court and the English High Court which concern similar subject matter. Jones Day is […]
* British Nuclear Fuels and Greenpeace are heading for a high-profile High Court showdown. The environment group is accused of damaging one of BNF’s irradiated fuel flasks at a motorway service station. BNF says that in the incident at Southwaite Service Station on the M6 in Cumbria its vehicle was interfered with and the irradiated […]
John Malpas reports INTELLECTUAL property set 6 Pump Court is gearing up to double in size with its move to a new home this week. The set, headed by David Young QC, has been based at Pump Court ever since its foundation in World War Two. On Wednesday this week it is due to open […]
Frustration of contract for pop concert performance Ganerco SA v ICM/Fair Warning (Agency) and Missouri Storm (1995) (QBD (Garland J) 31/3/95). Plaintiffs were Spanish pop concert promoters, the second defendants were the corporate persona of the pop group ‘Guns ‘n’ Roses’. The first defendants were theatrical tour organisers which undertook the organisation of a European […]
VIRTUAL legality has reached the York branch of the College of Law in the shape of two purpose-built computer laboratories. The ‘virtual legal office’ is a pilot scheme designed and implemented by Chris Smith, a senior lecturer at the college, which provides students with a vast range of information including access to Link, Lexis and […]
* ‘Exploiting the new electronics communications’ is a one-day The Lawyer conference looking at how law firms communicate with clients, the uses of the Internet and case studies. Jeffrey Green Russell and Clifford Chance will discuss their experiences on the Internet. The conference will be held in London on 26 June. Details on 0171 434 […]
* THIS year’s Gray’s Inn Ball has a Spanish theme and is called Flamenco. The ball, staged in the grounds of Gray’s Inn, will be on 29 July and will feature a marquee, a live band, a disco, a casino and a fair. Tickets for two costing u115 will be available from the Gray’s Inn […]
THE AUDIT Commission’s in-house legal team has left the government quango to join City firm Rowe & Maw. But the commission’s former director of legal services Tony Child, who joins as a partner, will continue in his role advising auditors dealing with councils and health authorities up and down the country. He and his deputy, […]
US defence lawyers acting for Simmons & Simmons partner David Sandy will fight attempts by the New York District Attorney (DANY) to prosecute him by arguing that the DANY is wrong on both jurisdictional and legal grounds. Steven Weiss, a partner in Sandy’s defence team at New York firm Weil Gotshal & Manges, says: “We […]
SOLICITOR advocates have been denied the right to wear wigs in the higher courts after the Lord Chancellor handed down his decision on the matter last week. Following recent consultation on the subject Lord Mackay sent a letter to Law Society president Charles Elly saying he intended to maintain the status quo that only allows […]