LAWYERS defending the gym owner being sued by the Princess of Wales have contacted police over claims that two tabloid newspapers were offered the transcripts of a conversation between a partner and a private investigator for u30,000. The incident has occurred only weeks before the 13 February start date for the trial. Partner Razi Mireskandari, […]
The £4 million refurbishment of Lewes Combined Court Centre is now complete. The Lord Chancellor formally re-opened the Grade II listed building, in Sussex, last week. The work involved improvements to the courtroom and offices, as well as renovation of the building’s historic features and the installation of a new heating and ventilation system. The […]
AN INQUIRY is under way at Hackney Council where a housing lawyer has run up rent arrears of thousands of pounds. Abdul Zainu Deen, a barrister at the authority since 1987, was ordered to clear the debts two years ago following disciplinary proceedings. But opposition councillors last week tabled a question on the “serious lapse […]
THE PERSONAL pension steering committee of law firms acting for victims of mis-sold pensions products continues to grow, with two new firms joining and another nine waiting in the wings. Wolverhampton-based Foster Baxter Cooksey and Girlings in Margate have joined the three other firms – Ringrose Wharton in Bristol, Wolferstans in Plymouth and J Keith […]
The refrain of the new legal aid tune consists of the phrases “block funding” and “cash limiting”- learn these words. The practice geared up to this new world will be franchised, contracted to a local Legal Aid Board office, and will operate to monitor quality standards. It may work with or refer work to other […]
Roger Woolfe, appointed senior partner at London firm Collyer-Bristow at the end of last year, was born in Nottingham in 1946. He now lives “in the middle of nowhere”, near Tenterden, Kent. What was your first job? Christmas temp with the Post office. Two hours delivering letters and 10 hours in the canteen clocking up […]
US-BASED international firm Coudert Brothers has taken the first step in building a UK tax and funds practice by hiring Clifford Chance tax specialist James Benger. Articled at Clifford Turner (now Clifford Chance), Benger spent eight years with the firm before joining Couderts London office this month. He is concentrating on structuring on- and off-shore […]
FEARS of indirect racial discrimination at the Bar have surfaced again. Black lawyer groups and the Bar Council’s own race relations committee are concerned that a proposal to delay call to the Bar until after six month’s pupillage will be unfair to ethnic minorities. The committee and others say the proposal could add to problems […]
THE LAW Society could face a u50,000 bill after the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal threw out a misconduct case against an assistant solicitor. The tribunal took the unusual step of ordering the society to pay costs after accepting a submission of no case to answer during the hearing. Michael Carroll, of Wilson & Co, was cleared […]
LEADING US firm Latham & Watkins is making further investigations after its head of project finance resigned, following his admission that he submitted false information to obtain expenses. San Francisco-based partner Timothy Flato – who earned almost $700,000 in 1993 – resigned at the start of the year after confirming the findings of an internal […]
LONDON construction firm Masons has formed an association with Philadelphia-based practice Pepper, Hamilton & Scheetz, creating one of the world’s top construction, engineering and project finance capabilities. The firms will collaborate on a non-exclusive basis, working on projects in both the UK and the US, as well the Far East and former Soviet countries. Masons […]
A LAW Society Commission has been set up this month to carry out the first major review of the workings of all 127 local law societies in England and Wales. The commission will examine the role and function of local law societies, including the 12 regional law societies, with a view to ‘raising their status […]