Rarely, if ever, has a British government engaged in such an assault on justice than the present coalition. The brunt of the assault applies to England and Wales since justice matters are mostly devolved to Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Tackling evasion: Government set to create strict liability for offshore tax evasion despite Law Society concerns
The government has announced today (19 March) it is to establish a strict liability offence for offshore tax evasion – despite concerns expressed by regulatory bodies including the Law Society.
Budget 2015: Legal reaction to the government’s pre-election plans for pensions, tax and the oil industry
In his final Budget before the general election in May, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has today (18 March) set out his tax and spending plans to MPs, with an agenda including further reforming the pension industry, raising £5.3bn from the banking sector, tackling tax avoidance and evasion, and supporting the North Sea oil industry.
So much for the rule of law – Ted Greeno on court fees and undermining the City
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan disputes veteran Ted Greeno (pictured) argues that a self-defeating stance on hiking court fees will undermine London.
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So much for the rule of law – court fees and undermining the City
Quinn Emanuel disputes veteran Ted Greeno argues that a self-defeating stance on hiking court fees will undermine London
In their piece entitled ‘Strangling the golden goose’ last month, Nigel Boardman, James Shirbin and Andrew Blake of Slaughter and May bemoaned the cost of commercial litigation in England and suggested London’s pre-eminence as a dispute resolution centre might be under threat as a result. In making this argument, they drew upon a report from the World Bank which compared the cost and ease of doing business in 189 countries around the world. One of the activities assessed was enforcing contracts and, for this purpose, the report compares and scores the cost, time and procedures involved in enforcing a claim under a sale of goods contract around the world. The UK is ranked in 36th place, suggesting our courts are relatively uncompetitive.
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‘Terrible news for society and for our profession’: High Court dismisses judicial review to legal aid
The Law Society received a blow today (18 February) as its challenge to the government’s controversial plans to overhaul criminal legal aid was dismissed in the High Court.
Strangling the golden goose – Nigel Boardman on why English law needs reform
Slaughter and May‘s Nigel Boardman, James Shirbin and Andrew Blake argue that English law needs drastic reform to remain internationally competitive.
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Comment: Global Law Summit misses the mark and a big opportunity
Here at Legal Business we like to set the agenda, so we’re feeling ahead of the game in pointing out shortcomings with this month’s Global Law Summit, the government-backed initiative to celebrate the 800-year anniversary of Magna Carta and British traditions of the rule of law.
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Global Law Summit misses the mark and a big opportunity
Here at Legal Business we like to set the agenda, so we’re feeling ahead of the game in pointing out shortcomings with this month’s Global Law Summit, the government-backed initiative to celebrate the 800-year anniversary of Magna Carta and British traditions of the rule of law.
The event has been attracting mounting controversy, including last month a scatter-gun attack in The Telegraph (who knew that Telegraph Media Group were such staunch socialists?) and wider criticism of elitism (some fair, some not).
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Strangling the golden goose – English law needs reform
Slaughter and May’s Nigel Boardman, James Shirbin and Andrew Blake argue that English law needs drastic reform to remain internationally competitive
English law occupies a privileged position. Thanks in significant part to the City’s role as a major global financial centre, England has become the jurisdiction of choice for many enterprises and deals (and subsequent disputes) that may otherwise have little territorial connection to the UK. The primary beneficiaries of this happy arrangement have been London’s major commercial law firms, who have received a steady flow of major transactional and litigious work.
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