We are expert witnesses who act in road accident cases. Between us we have put in nearly 90 years at the organisation now known as the Transport Research Laboratory, and have an unmatched record of research and study in highway matters relevant to traffic accidents. We now find this field of work is becoming increasingly […]
Lawyers have accused the Legal Aid Board of being over cautious in its refusal to grant aid to tobacco victims in their proceedings against cigarette manufacturers. The decision made last week brings an end to four years of preparatory case work by law firms Leigh Day & Co, Freeth Cartwright Hunt Dickens and Bindmans, the […]
In cases of constitutional importance in the US and Canada, it is common to find a diverse range of interest groups filing briefs as amici curiae (friends of the court). An amicus curiae may not only present legal argument to assist the court, but also social and economic data (a ‘Brandeis brief’). In the key […]
The Northern Irish Bar will welcome its third female QC in September this year. Margaret-Ann Dinsmore, a specialist in personal injury litigation, planning law and family law, is the one of 13 barristers nominated for appointment to the Northern Irish Bar later this year. She is also the Northern Ireland Commissioner for rights to trade […]
The Bar Council said it helped secure a vote against a Government proposal in the Housing Bill which would have forced leaseholders to pay up to £2,000 per day to take disputes to a tribunal. Outraged by the charges for access to the new Leasehold Valuation Tribunal the Bar Council sent out a briefing to […]
Weil, Gotshal & Manges breaks with Nabarro Nathanson and establishes its own London office; Dewey Ballantine breaks with Theodore Goddard and does likewise; other US-based firms announce major expansion plans for their London offices; UK firms expand their New York offices by hiring US lawyers. There has been a major shift in the relationships between […]
Herbert Smith has landed the unusual brief of advising English Heritage as it co-ordinates a Private Finance Initiative project at Stonehenge. Adrian Clough, partner responsible for the project, said: “It is not often you are given the opportunity to be involved with a stone circle set up around 2000 BC, which predates ancient cities in […]
Helen Sage reports Local government lawyers have breathed a sigh of relief over the Labour party’s promise to abolish compulsory competitive tendering (CCT) but say the replacement Best Value scheme will still be a severe test for any legal department. Speaking after the launch of the Labour Party’s Road to the Manifesto campaign earlier this […]
Shipping and insurance-based firm Hill Taylor Dickinson has opened a Dubai office staffed by partner Andrew Newitt and associate Rula Dajani, who move from the firm’s London office. Hill Taylor opened a Piraeus office two years ago and more recently an office in Hong Kong. Newitt said both these had been successful, proving that opening […]
Storm clouds are finally lifting from Lloyd’s of London after the embattled insurer reported record profits and successfully pushed through its rescue plan at meetings held last week. Litigation by Names, many of whom faced financial ruin after the market’s massive losses in the late 1980s, has subsided in the past year. This has helped […]
London may seem a dream posting for a successful lawyer but does the reality of living in the city match up to the image? Is there life outside the American community or are the English as reserved as their reputation says? According to some expat US lawyers, London may not “throb” like New York but […]
Helen Sage reports The Local Government Ombudsman would probably be found guilty of maladministration if he investigated himself, the Association of Council Secretaries and Solicitors (Acses) has claimed. Acses president John Hartas has accused the Local Government Ombudsman of overstepping his jurisdiction in a submission which he has made to the Government’s review of the […]