THE selection procedure for Bar School is to be turned on its head following the controversy surrounding this year’s entry process. Under the new system the degree result “will carry more weight than any other element” and the selection criteria will include an oral test. This year, degree results were disregarded completely and presentational skills […]
Cross-border insolvency is the subject for a seminar held by the Law Society and the International Association of Young Lawyers from 30 September to 2 October. The aim is to allow lawyers to discuss different approaches to such insolvencies and debate the effect of changes in the law. Speakers will be practitioners from centres including […]
GOVERNMENT plans to let civil service lawyers sit as part-time tribunal chairs may improve the judicial prospects of women and ethnic minority lawyers, say lobby groups. And while the Lord Chancellor’s decision does not go far enough for some civil service lawyers, they say the move will also increase their chances for career changes by […]
City firm Paisner & Co claims to have set up the first statutory employee share option scheme (Esop) since Government reforms to Esop legislation in the 1994 Finance Act in May The scheme involves Tullis Russell, a Scottish papermaking and specialist coating business valued at u37 million. Paisners partner David Cohen says the reforms are […]
An elderly couple who say they stand to lose their home after taking out a scheme to provide them with an income are suing for damages. William Hull, 75, and his wife Dorothy, 71, of Sutton, Surrey, have issued a writ against DBS Management plc, and DBS Financial Management Ltd, both of Edgerton, Huddersfield, and […]
The takeover of legal supplier Timeslice by insurance software company City Computers is causing concern among legal users about the future of their networks. The company is contacting its 60 law firm clients to reassure them that their Lawman and Action software is safe. Sources say some users are considering their future with Timeslice, although […]
Part of the commercial facts of life for Yorkshire Electricity – a business with a turnover of over u1.3 billion – is that legal issues have to be taken seriously. Yorkshire Electricity’s Group Legal Services acts on behalf of all group businesses, and the bulk of its time is spent dealing with cases of customers […]
A UK-based IT company, Prince plc, has successfully obtained a High Court declaration that trade mark infringement proceedings which had been threatened by Prince Sports Groups were unjustified. It has also obtained an injunction against the continuation of such threats. The decision is an eye-opener for trade mark owners, and for anyone interested in Network […]
A FORMER Derbyshire solicitor was extradited from Ireland to the UK to face charges of abusing clients’ funds and obtaining a house by deception. Peter John Gallagher changed his name from John Laurence Tym when he moved in 1989 to live near Dublin. He was arrested and sent before the local District Court in Trim, […]
THE LEGAL Aid Board is conducting “on the ground” research into legal aid loopholes which allow apparently wealthy people to claim public funds. The board wants to devise its own proposals, which will follow last week’s publication of the Law Society’s views on how the rules can be tightened up. The need for action was […]
The chance of financial fraud is increasing among the privatised areas in the public service sector, says the Audit Commission in its annual report. The commission blames blurring of accountability, leading to “increased risks of waste and more opportunities for dishonesty”. The incidence of fraud in local government appears low but there are “some signs […]
The Association of Solicitor Investment Managers (Asim) has accepted three new full members and now boasts more than 50 firms. Batten & Co of Yeovil, Brachers of Maidstone, and Wilsons of Salisbury have all taken on investment managers and are capitalising on strong private client departments. Asim now has 20 full members with combined portfolios […]