MANY American lawyers are expected to train as English solicitors following a new venture arranged by the College of Law. The college is to open a test Centre in Toronto, Canada, for US and Canadian lawyers who want to requalify as English solicitors. The news opens the prospect of American lawyers taking tests previously only […]
UNISON, the second-biggest trades union, is setting out on a major shake-up of its legal panel, involving some of the top names in trades union-related work. Before “rationalising” the panel, which currently has around 12 firms, Unison is to circulate a draft code of conduct to all firms requiring them to perform to agreed standards. […]
THE HEAD of Herbert Smith’s education department, Alexandrina le Clezio, is to join the College of Law as director of continuing professional development. She leaves next month after six years at the City firm where she took articles and practised as a solicitor before setting up and heading the education department. She says: “I’m leaving […]
CURBS on new solicitors, less Law Society staff, a less generous compensation fund and a conveyancing insurance levy for clients, are included in Martin Mears’ election manifesto. Due to be unveiled this week, it urges electors to vote in “the reform candidates” of Mears and Sayer, his running mate. Among the proposals, rounded on as […]
The Lawyer regrets that in an article on the US legal market in our 26 July issue, we incorrectly stated that three partners and eight associates of Davis Polk & Wardwell joined the New York office of Clifford Chance. One associate, no partners of Davis Polk has joined Clifford Chance.
IN-HOUSE legal departments are getting tough when it comes to outsourcing, a survey reveals. It shows that heads of legal departments are broadening the number of firms they use regularly when they out-source work and are driving down costs by negotiating better rates for their companies. The survey, carried out by recruitment consultants Taylor Root, […]
A Law firm has been forced to suspend its new accident line service after being accused of deliberately trying to poach Law Society clients. The Sunderland-based practice was operating a freephone service with “a confusingly similar” number to the recently-launched Accident Line. But court action brought by the society last week forced the firm to […]
FOUR leading law firms have re-shuffled their marketing departments after a series of departures. Clifford Chance media relations’ manager Carolyn Griffiths leaves this week after four years at the firm to train as a barrister. She read law at university and says her ambition was always to practice. She will not be immediately replaced. Linklaters […]
A LAW firm this week launches a holiday hotline for clients whose fun in the sun turns to pain in Spain. The Reading office of Shoosmiths & Harrison is offering free initial advice to victims of holiday accidents. Paul Paxton, head of the personal injury department, says the service has been set up in response […]
The Justices’ Clerks Society is encouraging magistrates’ court committees (MCCs) to team up locally and plan for greater efficiencies. The society says the committees should follow the example set by Outer London magistrates Courts’ Action Group which put together a Strategic Management Body and dissuaded the Lord Chancellor from forcing mergers of MCCs.The society held […]
LEGAL staff at British Gas are having to re-apply for their jobs as the company goes through a massive restructuring process. Lawyers currently working for the company’s UK gas business are switching from the common services unit to one of five new businesses. David Ashbourne has been appointed to head Transco, the Solihull-based transportation and […]
Filling in insurance proposal forms may seem a rather mundane pursuit. Generally no one welcomes the rather thankless task of having to go through the laborious claims’ enquiry process, calculating the fee split of work and then completing the form. Yet so much money is at stake, and premiums have become so costly, that time […]