CRIMINAL law experts fear miscarriages of justice, extra cost and further delays are likely to stem from a government pilot scheme allowing the police to prepare abbreviated case files. The society says the pilots will allow police to produce their own summaries of witness statements and evidence, rather than full statements, in cases which the […]
NEW senior partner Andrew Wright has vowed to re-build Fox Brooks Marshall following a large-scale defection to Wacks Caller. Established Manchester practice Fox Brooks was dissolved after four partners and nine other fee-earners left to join the rival north west firm. But Wright, who declines to comment on reasons for the split, has re-formed the […]
CITY firm Turner Kenneth Brown has closed the doors on its Brussels office and returned its two resident fee-earners to London. The office, closed at Christmas, was the only remaining international practice operated by the firm, which is currently in merger talks with Nabarro Nathanson. Early last year it shut down its Hong Kong office […]
Tim Miller reports SOLICITOR Denise Thompson takes over next week as head of legal at Blackburn Borough Council. She joins from neighbouring Burnley where she was a senior solicitor, responsible for litigation and all non-conveyancing matters. Thompson, who was articled with Wokingham Borough Council, will be legal service practice manager and solicitor. She will be […]
Michael Kavanagh Life offices are warning solicitors to be guided by the quality as well as cost of investment advice, following the introduction of hard disclosure on commissions and charges on investment products. Andy McNeill, business development consultant at Prudential, suggests that lawyers could gain the edge over other financial advisers as their practice of […]
Jeffrey Warren and Jan Karpinski on the Bristol & West u150m securitisation The UK mortgage market is becoming ever more competitive and sophisticated. In December 1994 an important milestone was passed when the Bristol & West building society became the first UK building society to undertake a public securitisation of part of its mortgage book. […]
Tim Miller reports BARNET Borough Council has come under fire from the Local Government Ombudsman after a poll tax court summons was sent to a resident’s work address. The complainant worked in the finance department of another local authority and the summons was seen by his manager who was the Community Charge Registration Officer. The […]
Brought into existence in 1988 by Finance Act changes permitting unit trusts to invest directly in deposits and other near-cash instruments, cash unit trusts offer a number of attractions to financial planners and their clients. Their first and most obvious advantage is the competitive interest rate they can offer. Cash trusts invest in the interbank […]
The Law Society has re-opened its enquiry line for women with silicone breast implants following the decision to extend to 1 March the deadline for possible claimants to register against the US settlement fund. More than 8,000 women have already called the line, and it is estimated between 30,000 and 40,000 women in the UK […]
Law firms are chasing substantial business as the demand for project finance increases reports Mary Heaney While law firms have seen no great increase in the amount of asset financing transactions, domestic and international project finance work has escalated. “There’s huge developments, particularly in electricity in Asia and high speed train networks in Europe,” according […]
Solicitors are no longer required to confine themselves to giving purely legal advice. The message the profession is receiving from its clients is that solicitors are expected to take a commercial approach to their work, in some instances offering commercial advice and always having a clear understanding of clients’ commercial goals. This includes the developing […]
PARTS of the courts service threatened with privatisation will be more secure after a Government U-turn due to political pressure from unions and senior judges. New legislation, coming into effect only four months before the deadline for Next Steps Agency status for the court service, will block government attempts to market test and contract out […]