A long time in politics

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A long time in politics

Oh for the days when politics was the last thing on the minds of City advisers. For years, British politics was an ignored backdrop for a legal profession used to a globalist, free-market agenda since the 1980s. How quaint such times seem in a national economy and City now overshadowed by Brexit and a convulsing political dynamic in a country once famed for stable one-party government.

Teaming up with NatWest, Legal Business gathered a group of senior City lawyers on the evening of the UK’s general election on 8 June to gauge what is on the agenda for the UK’s largest law firms. If nothing else it was striking how concerned – and disenchanted – City lawyers have become with the political classes and uncertainty… even speaking just hours before it became clear that the Conservative government was to lose its working majority. Continue reading “A long time in politics”

Paying its way: TheCityUK report says law and accounting firms contribute £15.5bn of UK taxes

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Paying its way: TheCityUK report says law and accounting firms contribute £15.5bn of UK taxes

Over 60,000 legal and accounting firms contributed £15.5bn worth of taxes in 2015/16, representing 2.5% of tax receipts in the UK, according to a new report by TheCityUK.

The legal and accounting sector employs just under 700,000 people across the UK – including over 300,000 in law, representing 2% of the total workforce. The average wage per employee at the study participants, which the report said ‘broadly represent the largest firms’ totalled £61,176, with each employee contributing around £22,463 to public finances. Continue reading “Paying its way: TheCityUK report says law and accounting firms contribute £15.5bn of UK taxes”

Shorter trial scheme undergoes first full test as court allows BP appeal in $70m claim

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The first case brought to trial under the London courts’ ongoing shorter trial pilot scheme has concluded on 27 July, when the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of BP in a $70m breach of warranty and misrepresentation dispute.

The High Court started the pilot scheme for shorter trials in September 2015, for cases in the commercial, technology and construction courts, the chancery division and the mercantile courts, all located in London’s Rolls Building.  Continue reading “Shorter trial scheme undergoes first full test as court allows BP appeal in $70m claim”

‘A triumph for access to justice’: Supreme Court rules employment tribunal fees unlawful

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‘A triumph for access to justice’: Supreme Court rules employment tribunal fees unlawful

The Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that employment tribunal fees are unlawful, allowing trade union UNISON’s appeal in a ground-breaking decision requiring the government to stop charging the fees.

Today’s ruling found the fees unlawful under both domestic and EU law because they had the effect of preventing access to justice. The Supreme Court stated that therefore the fees must be quashed. Continue reading “‘A triumph for access to justice’: Supreme Court rules employment tribunal fees unlawful”

UK’s top court gains first female president as progressive’s darling Hale to lead the Supreme Court

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UK’s top court gains first female president as progressive’s darling Hale to lead the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has gained its first female head with Lady Hale today (21 July) confirmed as its new president alongside three new appointments to the UK’s top court.

The appointment, replacing the outgoing Lord Neuberger, will be welcomed by diversity campaigners and the profession’s liberal wing with the outspoken Hale often regarded as the court’s most progressive judge. Continue reading “UK’s top court gains first female president as progressive’s darling Hale to lead the Supreme Court”

Brexit government department spent £3.7m in legal costs in year since EU referendum

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Brexit government department spent £3.7m in legal costs in year since EU referendum

The government department for exiting the European Union (DExEU) has spent £3.7m in legal costs since it was set up last summer, the most significant area of expenditure for DExEU after overall staff costs of £14m.

A government report published on Wednesday (19 July) revealed that DExEU cost taxpayers £1.2m in legal fees for the cases brought against the government, including that on triggering of Article 50, which formally started the UK’s withdrawal process from the European Union (EU). Continue reading “Brexit government department spent £3.7m in legal costs in year since EU referendum”

Civil court service fees generate £102m surplus for government as job cuts continue

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The civil courts generated a £100m surplus in their most recent year according to new figures that are bound to hike concerns over the use of civil courts to subsidise the justice system.

Over the last year, HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) has generated fee income of nearly £800m, £186m from family justice fees and more than £602m from civil justice fees, surpassing its own spend by £102m, while cuts to the service continue. Continue reading “Civil court service fees generate £102m surplus for government as job cuts continue”

‘Should be the end of the proposal’: Queen’s Speech reprieve for SFO as abolition move recedes

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‘Should be the end of the proposal’: Queen’s Speech reprieve for SFO as abolition move recedes

Theresa May’s Conservative manifesto pledge to subsume the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) into the National Crime Agency (NCA) was absent from June’s Queen’s Speech, with lawyers welcoming the prospect of the merger being shelved.

The speech, outlining the next two years’ statutory agenda, instead introduced a UK repeal and a customs bill and related European legislation to replace the EU’s customs regime, the world’s largest by economic output.

Continue reading “‘Should be the end of the proposal’: Queen’s Speech reprieve for SFO as abolition move recedes”

UK law will remain ‘attuned to the demands of international business’: Lord Neuberger speaks up for London’s prospective status post-Brexit

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UK law will remain ‘attuned to the demands of international business’: Lord Neuberger speaks up for London’s prospective status post-Brexit

Lord Neuberger, president of the UK Supreme Court, has defended London’s prospective status as a legal hub in the international sphere after Brexit, in a 3 July speech in London.

Continue reading “UK law will remain ‘attuned to the demands of international business’: Lord Neuberger speaks up for London’s prospective status post-Brexit”