Welcome to the weekly 'Law Business' column
from the SundayLawReview team taking a cursory look at what happened in the business of law within UK as reported by online legal publications throughout last week.
The most interesting articles on
developments, compliance and the business of law including articles
cited within TheLawMap 'focus of the day':
-
More women could
bring compensation claims for equal pay following a ground-breaking
ruling by the UK's Supreme Court | Global Legal Post
- The chairman of the
Legal Services Board (LSB) has strongly criticised the Bar Council for
its approach to dealing with the board, characterising its reaction to
the Legal Services Act reforms as “walking backwards slowly” | Legal Futures
- Tough new SFO policies on gifts and payments mean companies need lawyers on their side | The Lawyer
- No place for private
equity in law firms, say finance chiefs. More than three-quarters of
finance directors at leading commercial law firms believe private
equity investment is inappropriate | Law Gazette
- BSB sets course for barrister partnerships in 2013 and ABSs in 2014 | Legal Futures http://t.co/WhQ5IvAD
- Warning over “unbelievable” referral fee ban timetable that could leave firms just weeks to adapt | Legal Futures http://t.co/9ScMJZR8
- Women lawyers to appear in Saudi courts - under certain circumstances | The Lawyer http://t.co/EPEUap9v
- Proposals to centralise the eurozone’s banking system have had a sistinctly mixed response | The Lawyer http://t.co/6e7t0Mg2
- Is the ABS system more likely to redress gender imbalance than quotas? | The Lawyer http://t.co/WYqFQequ
- Austerity cuts could leave judges in the dark over implications of Jackson reforms | The Lawyer http://t.co/xp3NdWXC
- News International considering Armstrong libel costs claim | The Lawyer http://t.co/bH1Vh1Ba
- Nationwide gears up for wholesale panel revamp | The Lawyer http://t.co/GFOB8WnT
- Government goes ahead with plea bargaining | Solicitors Journal http://t.co/1bLDNobt
- Top firms “waking up” to competition from ABS; with one in five planning conversion themselves | Legal Futures http://t.co/6f717LZo
- Now Piers Morgan’s Mirror and The People accused of phone hacking - http://t.co/JtuMw5g5
- IRAN judiciary bars Ahmadinejad from visiting prison, in sign of his declining influence http://t.co/suPvjIxm
- Finding the skills to manage change | Law Gazette http://t.co/KLseHlST
- No loophole for fee-ban dodgers, SRA warns | Law Gazette http://t.co/aRwROhdA
- Top firms plan to recruit non-lawyer partners | Solicitors Journal http://t.co/QziOev8f
- Solicitors could be struck off for breaching referral fee ban | Solicitors Journal http://t.co/cAAnntwo
- Law School Falsified Jobs Data, Ex-Employee Says - Law Blog - Wall Street Journal http://t.co/BgdHQP6X
- Frankie Boyle, free speech and legal jokes http://t.co/qDJWfgnm
- Online presence is main source of lead generation for commercial firms, says survey | Legal Futures http://t.co/gOWczX0p
- Be bold and ignore the vested interests, LETR told | Legal Futures http://t.co/5cqtiekL
- Court interpreter mess ‘led to custody’, MPs told | Law Gazette http://t.co/BqOS628k
- Salford claims centre rates poorly with solicitors | Law Gazette http://t.co/vUum5Hpt
- Bar regulator confirms move into ABSs | Law Gazette http://t.co/dEDLIhkg
- Gary McKinnon’s solicitor has described the future for criminal legal aid firms as ‘very scary’ | Law Gazette http://t.co/eOK2xMSA
- PPI text spammers face £250k fines | Law Gazette http://t.co/hIrDpClc
- Barrister partnerships possible from 2013; BSB set to regulate ABSs - Legalweek http://t.co/HUysXoLR
- Scottish independence: 'Unfortunate' wrong impression given on legal advice http://t.co/3ZT7i4pv
- Scottish independence: Law officers 'approved EU documents' http://t.co/Y4v3a9pF
- Repeat clients are main source of solicitors’ work, says major survey | Legal Futures http://t.co/NaRid806
- Lawyers struggle to take commercial advantage of social media http://t.co/4Q8VNY1h
- Bar regulator confirms move into ABSs | Law Gazette http://t.co/dEDLIhkg
Articles of the week:
The UK and international articles of the week are two pieces selected by @TheLawMap tweeting team based on recommendations from friends and followers of LawNewsIndex.com daily law news blog.
- Law
degree: so I want to be a lawyer. How do I pay for it? Exploring the
bursaries, scholarships, loans available to undergraduate students. Catherine Bakshi - Guardian Law
- The South African judiciary urgently needs more women, but race and gender are not the
only considerations for new appointments, says Judge Selby Baqwa | Louise Flanagan IOL News
News from the Law Firms:
Friday 26th October
Thursday 25th October
Wednesday 24th October
Tuesday 23rd October
Monday 22nd October
We would like to
thank all the publications cited in this week's column. Please notify via @SundayLawReview Twitter handle of any errors
or omissions.
Welcome to the weekly 'Law Business' column
from the SundayLawReview team taking a cursory look at what happened in the business of law within UK as reported by online legal publications throughout last week.
Lawyers at loggerheads inside a court room debating over forensic evidence in a criminal trial could well be compared to cats engaged in a fight, but we have been reassured this week that no such feud exists between Larry and Freya, the Downing Street cats. But, Judges should “think twice” before halting such cross-examinations by advocates, particularly if they respond by
standing their ground, Lord Justice Munby has said, and that even in family cases, advocates should stop “irrelevant or time-wasting” cross-examinations. However carefully the papers have been read, counsel
is “likely to have a better grasp of the inner forensic realities” of
the case.
The Crown Prosecution Service has reported a decrease in hate-crime prosecutions as a result of victims failing to provide supporting evidence or even unexpectedly, failing to attend court. While discrimination is not a hate crime, a Law Society survey revealed that a notable percentage of solicitors have experienced it and almost one in six solicitors have been bullied at workplace. 17% of solicitors say they have been bullied at work.
The percentage is higher for those working in government (25%) and
commerce and industry (23%), compared with those working in private
practice (16%). These figures are worrying at a time of major changes sweeping through the legal profession. It would be interesting to hear of barristers experiences of bullying. The Criminal Bar Association had invited 'Judge John Deed' to deliver its annual 'Kalisher lecture' this week. Justice Deed being a fictitious character played by the actor Martin Shaw, it was the actor who delivered the speech that admitted he knew little of the law, but loved the glamour of the Inns of Court. His fear was that deregulation would spoil this glamorous world by letting in more solicitors. We look forward to Sylvester Stallone in the guise of Judge Dredd being the speaker next year?
The Home Secretary Theresa May blocked the Asberger's syndrome suffering Gary McKinnon's extradition to the US this week as it would have been a breach of his human rights under EU law. She also indicated that the Government would be handing more power to judges in extradition cases, outlining plans to introduce the forum bar, which would mean - in cases
where prosecution is possible in both the UK and another state - UK
citizens could present their defences in the UK rather than facing
extradition.
One of the US's leading general counsel has predicted this week that large corporate firms are wedded to an unsustainable business model, which could lead to more collapses like US firm Dewey LeBoeuf in the present economic climate. At least such collapses are not deterring law students as more than 60 per cent of the almost 2,000 students who took part in the annual survey carried out by the College of Law in conjunction with The Times newspaper, said economic uncertainty had no impact on their decision to apply to law school. However, students do believe that alternative business structures (ABSs) will mean more job opportunities but lower salaries and status. At least the law students in this side of the pond are too busy thinking of the career ahead than some of their counterparts across the pond. In an apparent attempt to empirically prove the veracity of Robert Frost’s 1962 poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” Berkeley School of Law students, Eric Cuellar and Justin Teixeira, were arrested in Las Vegas after being caught on tape killing an 14-year-old helmeted guinea fowl. On that same side of the pond, a legal academic, Teresa Wagner claimed discrimination because she wasn't liberal enough for her academic bosses. This is a lawsuit that's being watched closely by those
who have long claimed universities have a left-leaning bias. Wagner's colleagues at the University of Iowa's law
school called her smart, driven, and passionate, but somehow she was
still passed over for every new position.
That's our legal world summed up for the week at the SundayLawReview and off we go to relax over a cuppa and an article on strange Scottish laws.
The most interesting articles on
developments, compliance and the business of law including articles
cited within TheLawMap 'focus of the day':
-
Law firms will have
to adopt a more forceful marketing model if they are to survive in the
post-alternative business structure (ABS) marketplace, a specialist in
growing online businesses has urged. Full story | Legal Futures
- British
ministers are this week reported to be revaluating a controversial
extradition treaty with the US following yesterday's decision not to
send a computer hacker to stand trial in America. Full story | Global Legal Post
- Judges should “think
twice” before halting cross-examinations by advocates, particularly if
they respond by standing their ground, Lord Justice Munby has said.
Full story | Solicitors Journal
- The
Bar Council has strongly opposed the creation of a category of
‘non-trial’ advocates in the planned advocacy accreditation scheme. The
‘plea-only’ category – originally proposed by solicitor advocates –
would put the public at risk and undermine public confidence in the
profession & criminal justice system, the council says in its
response to the fourth and final consultation on the controversial
Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA). Full story | Law Gazette
- Is
there a life outside the lecture theatre for law students?
Extracurricular activities such as mooting, legal research and pro bono
help law students develop transferable skills. Full story | Guardian Law
- SRA wins appeal for dishonesty strike-off | Law Gazette http://t.co/RE8r6EEY
- Court won't order Google to block anti-Islam film http://t.co/kZIMtgWq
- Supreme Court prepares for revamp as three justice positions become available | The Lawyer http://t.co/ScIF2Dio
- Bar Council: solicitors to blame for falling criminal advocacy standards | Legal Futures http://t.co/ftU2yXZt
- Law firms’ revolving door turns faster as election draws near http://t.co/p3WzRNdn
- Judicial figure beaten as SRI LANKA wrestles with bench independence | The Global Legal Post http://t.co/u0Blb3YI
- Duty solicitor rotas: application deadline on 14 November 2012 http://t.co/LXVVTiHE
- Million-dollar rewards for whistleblowers could see them approach the authorities before their companies | The Lawyer http://t.co/N4YECFtV
- OFT looks to improve investigations as it heads towards new regulatory era | The Lawyer http://t.co/eDdR5ily
- Google told to fix privacy policy by EU data regulators http://t.co/DI7qHxmO
- Gear up for big data | Law Gazette http://t.co/YyCJYSJU
- War tribunal ‘politically motivated’ | Law Gazette http://t.co/RlMnzRkH
- Fund will assume risks of ABSs, says MoJ | Law Gazette http://t.co/u6yHb8bX
- Litigant in person ‘not entitled to indulgence’ | Law Gazette http://t.co/47OsV8qL
- Hudson warning over failure to modernise conveyancing | Law Gazette http://t.co/oOlViY88
- Susskind lays out blueprint for education and training reform | Legal Futures http://t.co/TEoPB5fc
- Pro bono group expands to Wales | Law Gazette http://t.co/FYV3ziZz
- Interpreter firm still missing target, official statistics reveal | Law Gazette http://t.co/RTXS5th0
- SRA chief admits light touch for new ABSs | Law Gazette http://t.co/I61JbgFz
- Young offenders should be screened for brain injuries http://t.co/O62gb3Eb
- SRA warns firms and solicitors: co-operate or else | Legal Futures http://t.co/9G8Fvdbx
Articles of the week:
The UK and international articles of the week are two pieces selected by @TheLawMap tweeting team based on recommendations from friends and followers of LawNewsIndex.com daily law news blog.
News from the Law Firms:
Friday 19th October
Thursday 18th October
Wednesday 17th October
Tuesday 16th October
Monday 15th October
We would like to
thank all the publications cited in this week's column. Please notify via @SundayLawReview Twitter handle of any errors
or omissions.
Welcome to the weekly 'Law Business' column
from the SundayLawReview team, which takes a cursory look at what happened in the business of law within UK as
reported by online legal publications throughout last week.
Changes in legislation affecting the way lawyers operate, legal
education as well as news from the law firms form the main
focus of this blog.
October has fully kicked in for the team here with the traditional downpour, frosty nights, the return of the BBC Question Time and of course, the end to the political conference season. 'One nation' was the big phrase right left and centre over the last fortnight with workers' rights tucked in somewhere in between.
The week started with the chancellor George Osborne's conference speech, which included a plan to reduce red tape for employers by allowing employees to trade in certain rights for shares in the company. The basics of this deregulation include loss of maternity rights and access to unfair dismissal tribunals in exchange for shares in between £2000 to £5000, with gains from these shares being exempt from capital gains tax. The reaction so far has been lukewarm and it would be interesting to see if employers are likely to take up the chancellor on this offer, especially in the legal sector.
The US Anti-Doping Agency finally published its report on the seven times Tour de France winning cyclist Lance Armstrong accusing him of using and distributing performance enhancing substances. Armstrong's lawyer, Sean Breen from the Texas bases law firm Howry, Breen & Herman, has called the report a one sided hatchet job.
As the market for legal services expands with the full implications of ABS yet to be realised, the Law Gazette stated this week that Legal services consumers feel intimidated by jargon when they make complaints to law firms and for that reason are more likely to take their complaint to the Legal Ombudsman. The legal ombudsman's advice on this matter appears to be 'be clear, be bold, be fair'. While the content of the ombudsman's guide to consumers aim to simply the process of complaints, this columnist could not fail to draw similarities in aim between this document and what the abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko had set out in his block paintings. A famous painting by Rothko, part of the Seagram mural series, had been in the news this week as a Russian man was arrested for defacing it. The defacer, Mr Umanet is the founder of a movement called 'Yellowism' and denies the charge of criminal damage. Yellowism maintains a philosophy that would be a fitting advertisement in a will writing service provider's website - 'no one lives forever'.
The
most interesting articles on developments, compliance and the business
of law including articles cited within TheLawMap 'focus of the day':
- Lawyers
must deal with complaints more effectively to regain trust of “scared”
consumers. Regulators must act urgently to improve complaint
procedures, a report commissioned by the Legal Ombudsman and Legal
Services Consumer Panel has found | Solicitors Journal
- The
Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) will ‘annul the
historic rights’ of most solicitors to appear before magistrates’
courts and prompt lawsuits against regulators, the Law Society has
warned | Law Gazette
- Can
sole practitioners survive in the new legal marketplace? Alternative
business structures may be seen as friend or foe by traditional high
street law firms | Guardian Law
- It’s time for buyers of legal services to flex their muscles and demand higher quality at lower prices | The Lawyer
- Law
students: 'and what else do I get with my masters?' The competitive
legal education market means students demand more for their money as
universities and law schools strive to 'add value' | Guardian Law
- US firms' City bases outstrip UK firms' RPL by 50 per cent | The Lawyer http://t.co/UVvUru2I
- London legal jobs boom defies downturn | Law Gazette http://t.co/mC35KA4Z
- Tipping the scales of justice: A barrister’s view | TBIJ http://t.co/rvIiqKl2
- Justice minister: we’ll stop weekend courts pilot if critics are right | Law Gazette http://t.co/t53WZkTB
- Elections of the future really to be decided on how much violence we are prepared to countenance? | Law Gazette http://t.co/1rMJV8xo
- Chancery Lane takes stake in OFR support provider | Law Gazette http://t.co/b4sFsFSm
- Chris Grayling's self-defence plans greeted with dismay by lawyers http://t.co/KleLwO9A
- April Jones Facebook comments: should Matthew Woods be in prison? | Joshua Rozenberg - Guardian Law http://t.co/Nr0EHx2y
- Judge Constance Briscoe, one of Britain's first black female judges arrested | Guardian Law http://t.co/paa1UVvK
- High-profile judge suspended from judiciary following arrest | Legalweek http://t.co/aC583mz7
- Courage needed to change law firm structures | The Global Legal Post http://t.co/uiBycSts
- Law leaders accused of big firm bias | The Global Legal Post http://t.co/2peNVgUY
- Court of Appeal clarifies 10% damages uplift stance after ABI challenge | Legalweek http://t.co/diI5rWU9
- QASA will drive solicitors out of criminal law, Law Society warns | Legal Futures http://t.co/iRru9pbx
- Regulators urged to help “scared” consumers make complaints to their lawyers | Legal Futures http://t.co/F1afMKK7
- Law firms warned on web risks as 20% face online attacks | Legalweek http://t.co/VQmpfzdI
- Jackson: the true picture - predicting the shape of things to come | New law Journal http://t.co/awim6Apr
- The ten billion dollar law firm | The Global Legal Post http://t.co/0Xq3ZabJ
Articles of the week:
The UK and international articles of the week are two pieces selected by @TheLawMap tweeting team based on recommendations from friends and followers of LawNewsIndex.com daily law news blog.
- Technology in conveyancing - friend or foe? | Eleanor Finnigan in Law Gazette
- Future of law: big brands and alternative business structures: Household names such as AA, Saga, Direct Line and BT hoping to join Co-op in the legal sector | Neil Rose in Guardian Law
News from the Law Firms:
Friday 12th October
Thursday 11th October
Wednesday 10th October
Tuesday 9th October
Monday 8th October
We would like to
thank all the publications cited in this week's column. Please notify via @SundayLawReview Twitter handle of any errors
or omissions.
Welcome to an all new weekly column
from the SundayLawReview team. The aim of this blog is a cursory look upon what happened in the business of law within UK as reported by online legal publications throughout the previous week. Changes in legislation affecting the way lawyers operate, legal education as well as news from the law firms would be this column's main focus.
The most interesting articles on developments, compliance and the business of law including articles cited within TheLawMap 'focus of the day':
-
Long court appeals a 'source of real fury', says lord chief
justice. Head of judiciary says it's not right for legal cases to take
up to eight years to conclude, such as that of Abu Hamza. Full story - Guardian Law
The mishmash of global legal education regimes need to be unified
for the sake of efficient international business. The International Bar
Association needs to take a lead role in levelling the playing field.
Full story - Global Legal Post
- The
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is reviewing its Bribery Act guidance, with
sections on self-reporting, facilitation payments, gifts and hospitality
currently withdrawn from the watchdog's website. Full story - Legalweek
- Solicitors have expressed concerns over the quality of justice at
employment tribunals if ‘legal officers’ take over the role of judges
and hear interlocutory applications. Full story - Solicitors Journal
- Almost 30 firms had applied to enter the assigned risks pool (ARP)
within two days of the professional indemnity insurance deadline
passing, according to the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Full story - Law Gazette
- At times like these, when partners are being asked to leave firms, it’s wise to ensure you’re prepared | The Lawyer http://t.co/Gl8UJ8JI
- The global legal education regimes need to be unified for efficient international business | The Global Legal Post http://t.co/CUu4WMzz
- Political imperatives may lead to G4S paying a high price for the London 2012 security fiasco | The Lawyer http://t.co/vlL9TBNc
- A career in the law remains a dream come true for many - Learning curve | The Global Legal Post http://t.co/ktbQNAaG
- Offshore litigation boom will be just a bubble unless jurisdictions dump protectionism | The Lawyer http://t.co/dbwvHmZv
- Scottish lawyers top legal aid pay charts | The Global Legal Post http://t.co/ZvPQmrQO
- Only 28 firms enter ARP | Solicitors Journal http://t.co/7o7uojbe
- Relief for solicitors’ wallets as small number of firms apply to enter ARP | Legal Futures http://t.co/kveSERvq
- Law schools must reduce their class sizes. There are simply too many lawyers and too many law students in the United States nowadays. Only about half of recent graduates of law schools, of which there also are too many, are securing permanent full-time employment in the legal profession at this point. http://t.co/QivcLs6O
- QOCS likely to be extended, Ramsey J says | Solicitors Journal http://t.co/Yneftn3w
- So you want to be an international lawyer? What newly merged Herbert Smith Freehills, the largest law firm in Asia Pacific, is looking for in its graduate recruitment | Guardian Law http://tinyurl.com/9zv4fv9
Articles of the week:
The UK and international articles of the week are two pieces selected by @TheLawMap tweeting team based on recommendations from friends and followers of LawNewsIndex.com daily law news blog.
- Why Maria Miller is wrong about abortion rights. Our women's minister is using 'feminism' to justify her attack on a woman's right to choose. That can't be right. | The Guardian - Jane Martinson
- Swedish furniture company Ikea has said it regrets that images of women are missing from the Saudi version of its catalogue. | BBC News
News from the Law Firms:
Friday 5th October
Thursday 4th October
Wednesday 3rd October
Tuesday 2nd October
Monday 1st October
We would like to
thank all the publications cited in this week's column. Please notify via @SundayLawReview Twitter handle of any errors
or omissions.
