A landmark review of civil justice has backed the creation of an online court for claims worth up to £25,000, and suggests more cases should be heard in the provinces.
‘Irrelevant word-smithing’: Leading law firms to pay millions for apprenticeships payroll tax
Preliminary Law Society figures estimate more than 250 firms will be hit by the 0.5% payroll tax to supplement apprenticeships announced in last month’s Autumn Statement, as full details of the levy are delayed.
Guest post: The strange, slow death of the criminal courts charge
The criminal courts charge is, or was, one of the less well thought-through criminal justice reforms of recent years. Since April this year, courts have had a duty under section 21A of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 to impose a fixed charge ‘in respect of relevant court costs’ on those convicted of offences.
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Privilege under threat: Legal lobby raises alarm over Snooper’s charter
Both The Law Society and The Bar Council have called for legal professional privilege (LPP) to receive statutory protection in the forthcoming Investigatory Powers Bill.
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Comment: The moment of truth arises – will the profession stand up to Gove?
In business as in life, if you want respect you have to start by expecting it and not putting up with its absence. Perhaps the ludicrous attempt to bully the commercial legal profession into taking on more pro bono with the threat of a levy on the UK’s largest law firms will make that point sink in.
Continue reading “Comment: The moment of truth arises – will the profession stand up to Gove?”
The moment of truth arises – will the profession stand up to Gove?
In business as in life, if you want respect you have to start by expecting it and not putting up with its absence. Perhaps the ludicrous attempt to bully the commercial legal profession into taking on more pro bono with the threat of a levy on the UK’s largest law firms will make that point sink in.
For years the government has treated the commercial legal profession with neglect and disinterest unless it needed something, despite its status as a world-leader, major tax contributor and role in helping carry English law around the globe. Far too often the profession rolled over then queued up like a grateful child when the government wanted the great and good to pitch in for something. The policy wheeze by incoming justice secretary Michael Gove has only made explicit what has been obvious for years.
Continue reading “The moment of truth arises – will the profession stand up to Gove?”
Snooper’s charter offers ‘unsatisfactory’ protection for legal professional privilege
Both The Law Society and The Bar Council have called for legal professional privilege (LPP) to receive statutory protection in the forthcoming Investigatory Powers Bill.
The draft law, dubbed the ‘snooper’s charter’, will govern all of the powers available to law enforcement, the security and intelligence agencies and the armed forces to acquire the content of communications or communications data. While this has sparked debate about privacy, critics also say for lawyers, professional privilege is under threat.
Breeding cynicism – a call to move past the money-driven culture afflicting law
NRF’s Peter Martyr argues senior lawyers need to speak out for a more responsible vision of the profession
Our profession is facing a growing tension between the drive for profit – the resurgent guiding principle of the 2000s – and the increasing demand for more social responsibility among businesses. Post-recession, we can add increased competition, the scrutiny of the business press and a growing focus on efficiency into the mix, all of which amounts to a potential recipe for trouble.
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HSF’s Palmer handed TheCityUK role as it seeks to protect London’s legal hub status
Elected as senior partner of Herbert Smith Freehills earlier this year, corporate heavyweight James Palmer has been appointed chair of legal services at professional services lobby group TheCityUK.
‘More of a PR stunt than a constitutional milestone’: Government backtracks on withdrawal from ECHR
The Conservative government has backtracked on any planned withdrawal from key provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) through the new draft UK Bill of Rights, while delaying consultation on the proposed law.