6 March 1995

In brief: New Year start for ICI chief legal adviser

ICI has appointed a new general counsel. Michael Herlihy, currently taxation controller, will take up his new post on 1 January next year. He will be the company’s chief legal adviser with responsibility for ensuring the effectiveness of legal and company secretarial services throughout the group. The assistant company secretary Ken Rushton will become company […]

Polish parliament softens its line on restricting foreign practices

THE POLISH parliament appears to be back-tracking over plans to force foreign firms to transfer their capital to Polish lawyers or shut down offices in the country. Initial signs show the draft law, which has been before the parliament since late last year, will be altered to allow lawyers admitted as advocates or legal advisers […]

In brief: TSG suggests replacement for LPC

A proposal by the Trainee Solicitors’ Group could see the Legal Practice Course pared down and some of its content transferred to the training contract. In its response to the review of legal education conducted by the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Legal Education and Conduct (ACLEC), the TSG says the LPC should be cut […]

Seizing the impetus for reform

David Thomas is a council member and partner at Lees Lloyd Whitely, Liverpool. Those who expected confrontation between the new president and the council at the September Law Society Council meeting were disappointed. Sweetness and light abounded, despite differences in opinion. The council recognised the new president has a democratic mandate and will consider his […]

No breach at Shoosmiths

The introduction of the Accident Line Protect Insurance scheme removes the problem of costs which had arisen on some cases, whereby the agreement had been signed prior to the availability of ALP. In your article, ‘Storm brews over Conditional Fees’ (The Lawyer 11 July), I was quoted as saying we had got around the problem […]

Are you really being served?

Over the past five years, we have examined the bank statements of more than 70 solicitors and small businesses, and have saved them over £1 million. These savings come from three main sources. First, the contract with the bank, usually in the form of an arrangement letter, is often ignored. Unless the law firm has […]

In brief: Merger boosts private client work

London firm Gregory, Rowcliffe & Milners has amalgamated with the partnership of Pettit & Westlake to form a specialist private client and litigation practice. Partners Peter and Morwen Pettit have taken their staff to the 1 Bedford Row offices of Gregorys, which will remain as the practice name. Gregorys has strong international links with an […]

Westminster Council enlists CPS in fight against 'carders'

THE CROWN Prosecution Service is to be pressed to join a court offensive against gangs which control prostitutes’ advertising on cards placed in telephone boxes. Westminster Council will urge the CPS to follow its initiative using planning legislation against the “carders”. The move follows a warning that the council may have to curtail the number […]

The Banking Experience

As a solicitors firm heavily committed to providing legal aid services, we need an accessible bank which offers a wide range of banking related services at the lowest possible cost. Like any business, we also need to earn as much interest as possible on all balances and to pay as little as possible for money […]

Fraudulent transactions

There are a number of different types of transactions offered by fraudsters. Trading in financial instruments The victim may be offered the opportunity to invest in the trading of standby letters of credit (SLCs), discounted letters of credit (LCs), prime bank guarantees (PBGs) or bank debenture instruments. The deal might be based on ‘rolling over’ […]

Fisher Meredith shows its wares on the buses

Solicitor Eileen Pembridge’s firm, Fisher Meredith, has launched an advert- ising campaign on buses for its twentieth anniversary. “Twenty years of serving the community,” says the advert for the London legal aid firm which is being carried on buses running up and down 11 bus routes. Pembridge, senior partner at the firm and unsuccessful Law […]

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Courting clients

AT LEAST one High Court judge has condemned the practice, a Queen’s Counsel has spoken out against it, and now the Legal Services Ombudsman has called for action. But still the Law Society refuses to ban its members from sleeping with clients. Unlike doctors who are governed by strict ethical rules, solicitors in England and […]