It is often forgotten that the received wisdom as the 1990s wore on was that restrictive covenants and other restraints on free movement of staff would become a thing of the past for law firm partners and industry in general as the market went the way of the US. However, a High Court ruling this week is a further reminder that employers’ rights to insist on such terms – and how they are used – are still very much a reality.
Guest post: Dominic Grieve as Attorney General, 2010-2014
The first time I ran into Dominic Grieve, he made a fool of the Labour shadow justice minister, Paul Boateng. It was in the 1990s, at a Liberty conference on human rights.
Continue reading “Guest post: Dominic Grieve as Attorney General, 2010-2014”
Energy lawyers welcome Queen’s speech as Infrastructure Bill set to open pathways to fracking
Energy lawyers are expecting a hike in UK shale gas projects after the Queen’s speech yesterday (4 June) outlined plans to widen trespass laws in a draft Infrastructure Bill. Continue reading “Energy lawyers welcome Queen’s speech as Infrastructure Bill set to open pathways to fracking”
Know your client – Home Office targets professional advisers with tougher organised crime laws
City law firms may face increased red tape when accepting new clients onto their books after the Home Office today (3 June) unveiled plans to bolster legislative powers to imprison solicitors, accountants and others who suspect that their client is linked to organised crime. Continue reading “Know your client – Home Office targets professional advisers with tougher organised crime laws”
Bleak reading for all but the biggest law firms in latest Law Society statistics report
The squeeze on the legal profession is in evidence in the latest annual statistics report from the Law Society, which reveals the first decline for over 20 years in both the number of practising and non-practising solicitors across England and Wales; a decline in all but the largest private practice firms; and a further drop in the number of lawyers making partner. Continue reading “Bleak reading for all but the biggest law firms in latest Law Society statistics report”
Law Society lines up TLT’s senior partner to take over as president
The Law Society has today (24 April) announced that TLT Solicitors senior partner Robert Bourns has been elected as the body’s deputy vice president, with the expectation that he will become president in 2016. Continue reading “Law Society lines up TLT’s senior partner to take over as president”
‘Why don’t parties and their donors pay to run Parliament?’ MoJ pushes ahead with controversial court fees reform
Despite fierce accusations from within the senior echelons of the legal profession that the Government has failed to comprehend the Courts’ standing as an essential institution of the State, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) this week announced it will push ahead with the first stage of its proposals to overhaul court fees in civil claims. Continue reading “‘Why don’t parties and their donors pay to run Parliament?’ MoJ pushes ahead with controversial court fees reform”
A budget for retiring partners and firms moving offices, but disappointing news for LLPs
The long-trailed 2014 budget yesterday (19 March) brought few surprises to the legal business community, although nonetheless some disappointment, as it confirmed that changes to the way limited liability partnerships (LLPs) are taxed will be pushed through in April. Continue reading “A budget for retiring partners and firms moving offices, but disappointing news for LLPs”
End of the lawyer glut? Latest stats show fall of 3,000 working solicitors amid profession in flux
With the impact of the latest cuts to legal aid yet to bite, the number of practising solicitors in the UK in 2014 was revised down by 3,189 between January and February 2014, according to the latest figures from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Continue reading “End of the lawyer glut? Latest stats show fall of 3,000 working solicitors amid profession in flux”
Guest post: Notes from the frontline of Grayling Day – ‘The whole system is in revolt’
At Friday’s ‘Grayling Day’ demonstration in London, chairman of the Criminal Bar Association Nigel Lithman QC told the audience that ‘an indispensable part of our democracy is the criminal justice system. It’s taken centuries to build; it is taking this government a blink of an eye to demolish.’