11 December 1995

No factions in council

An item appears on the front page of The Lawyer, 28 November which creates the wrong impression. We have been anxious to ensure that the work of the Law Society Council is unhindered and a much-needed programme for reform is pursued for the benefit of our profession. When each of us was approached by our […]

The Lawyer Inquiry: Caroline May

Caroline May is head of the environmental unit at Lawrence Graham, London. Born in 1962, she now lives in Hertfordshire. What was your first job? Shop assistant, M62 motorway services. What was your first ever salary as a lawyer? £7,000, as an articled clerk, 1985. What would you have done if you hadn’t become a […]

Conveyancing and the case for reform

I am labelled an outspoken critic of the proposals fronted by John Edge for the introduction of a minimum fee scale for conveyancing (The Lawyer, 14 November). Yes, I am against the proposals but I am also totally in favour of good quality conveyancing being carried out for much greater reward than it is currently […]

Mackay not amused by Telegraph speech story

LORD Mackay’s problems from within his own political party seemed to return last week, when he took an unprecedented step over another unprecedented step later revealed to have never occurred at all. The Daily Telegraph’s front page splash last Thursday asserted: “Lord Mackay, the Lord Chancellor, is to take the unprecedented step of reminding judges […]

Housing debate goes into Web cyberspace

DEBATE over the proposed Housing Bill will take place in cyberspace with the launch of its very own Internet site on the World Wide Web. The Law Centres Federation and the Housing Centre, a London charity, have combined with Ferret Information Systems in a new venture to use the Internet as a universal lobbying tool. […]

In brief: Group launches support for accountants

A new litigation support panel has been launched by the UK 200 Group of practising chartered accountants. The panel, which combines member firms’ expertise in forensic accountancy, has been established to meet a growing demand for professional skills and expert witnesses in cases such as contractual disputes, commercial fraud and personal injury. For further information […]

Government unveils plans to modernise trust law

City lawyers will find increasing demand for advice from stockbrokers and fund managers as a result of a series of sweeping reforms proposed in trust law, according to top lawyers. The lawyers welcome new governmental backing for extensive modernising of what they say is an archaic area of statute law. Support for change, which comes […]

Programme pilots integrated computer systems for law firms

The Coolfin Partnership, the manufacturer of an integrated computer and telecommunications system, is looking for law firms prepared to take part in a pilot programme. The Pan-European Legal Telematics Programme, which was announced in September after three years of research, aims to build common standards for integrating computer and telecommunications services in the legal profession […]

IBA puts rights on global agenda

HUMAN rights will no longer be left to the “whim” of individual countries as law becomes more supranational, says the president of the International Bar Association, Professor Ross Harper. Speaking at last week’s launch of the IBA’s human rights institute, Harper said that the importance of supranational courts “cannot be overemphasised”. He added that all […]

Lawyers hit out at LAB's plan for 'nightmarish' block contracts

LEGAL aid solicitors have attacked Legal Aid Board proposals for “short term” block contracts, claiming they would have a destabilising effect on firms. The Legal Aid Practitioners Group has reacted to the publication of the board’s response to Lord Mackay’s Green Paper by homing in on the suggestion that contracts should last just two years […]

CPS lawyers could 'lose objectivity' under a proposed police link-up

PLANS being hatched between the police and the Crown Prosecution Service for some Crown Prosecutors to be based in police stations could lead to CPS lawyers ‘going native’. Roger Ede, secretary to the Law Society’s criminal law committee, said: “We see dangers in the CPS being too closely involved with the police. There is a […]

Australian firm signs A&O's Walls

AUSTRALIAN practice Allens Arthur Robinson has appointed Allen & Overy lawyer Duncan Walls to head its London office. He will replace the current managing partner Jim Dunstan, who has run the London office for the past three years. Dunstan is returning to Sydney in March to run the banking department of Allen Allen & Hemsley, […]