Lawyer news

• Human Rights Act repeal would send wrong signal, says Tory peer

  01-06-2015 20:53
  
  Lord Mackay says deal could be struck leading to recognition that national parliaments have sovereigntyA Conservative former lord chancellor has opposed calls for Britain to withdraw from the European convention on human rights, arguing that it would send out the wrong signal.
  Lord Mackay of Clashfern, who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major, told peers he did not object to the introduction of a British bill of rights but he believed political compromise was possible. C
  
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• Daniel Ellsberg credits Edward Snowden with catalysing US surveillance reform

  01-06-2015 20:33
  
  Prominent US whistleblowers applaud Snowden’s Patriot Act revelation for inciting Congress to take action, though they doubt he can ever return to the US Related: US surveillance reform: what has happened and what happens next?Continue reading...
  
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• Restore legal aid cuts to help overworked MPs | Letters

  01-06-2015 20:33
  
  Juliette Jowit highlights the problem of MPs so overloaded with constituency work that they struggle to influence national policy (The tragedy of the Commons: MPs too busy to do their jobs, Opinion, 28 May).She identifies the four most common themes nationally: planning, housing, immigration and benefits. Perhaps if those same MPs had not voted to restrict legal aid in relation to housing, immigration and benefits they would be able to refer their constituents to firms and agencies able to help.
  
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• ​Buying sex made illegal in Northern Ireland under new law - RT

  01-06-2015 18:45
  RT
  ​Buying sex made illegal in Northern Ireland under new law
  RT
  It is now illegal to pay for sex in Northern Ireland under new legislation that came into effect on Monday. Those caught breaking the law could face up to a year in prison. Critics say the ruling breaches human rights law. Northern Ireland is the only ...en meer »
  
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• Lord Falconer: government must clean up assisted dying legal mess

  01-06-2015 18:01
  
  Shadow justice secretary pushing private member’s bill that he hopes could reform a law he sees as no longer enforceableThe government must make parliamentary time available to reform the law on assisted dying, Lord Falconer, the sponsor of a private member’s bill on the issue, has urged.After winning only 21st place in the peers’ lottery for private legislation, the new shadow justice secretary is warning that the existing law – which criminalises those helping the terminally ill end th
  
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• Slater and Gordon expecting shares bonanza

  01-06-2015 17:51 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Quindell bows out from legal services provision as Slater takes UK headcount to almost 4,000.
  
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• Quindell deal boost for Slater and Gordon

  01-06-2015 17:51 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Acquisition will enhance earnings per share at Australia-listed law firm.
  
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• Whittingdale hints government could back alternative 2018 World Cup – live

  01-06-2015 16:50
  
  Rolling coverage of all the day’s political developments as they happenJohn Whittingdale answers urgent Fifa questionNo 10 lobby briefing - Summary
  No 10 rules out cutting child benefitLunchtime summary3.43pm BST Here is a summary of the main points from John Whittingdale’s response to the urgent question on Fifa.If there were any serious attempt to organise an alternative to the existing World Cup, that could only be done if there were a strong agreement across the European nations, and pre
  
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• Top US court rules for Muslim woman denied Abercrombie job over hijab

  01-06-2015 16:48
  
  Supreme court votes 8-1 that Samantha Elauf faced discrimination after company said wearing the head scarf violated its ‘look policy’ for members of sales staffThe supreme court on Monday ruled in favour of a Muslim woman who filed a lawsuit after she was denied a job at an Abercrombie & Fitch clothing store in Oklahoma because she wore a head scarf for religious reasons.On an 8-1 vote, the court handed a win to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), a federal agency that su
  
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• Irish media seek right to report on Denis O'Brien's ties with IBRC

  01-06-2015 16:45
  
  Irish Times and RTÉ seek court ruling after MP alleges in Dáil that media tycoon enjoyed very low rate loans from ‘toxic bank’ that succeeded Anglo-Irish Bank
  Two of Ireland’s biggest media outlets are to mount a high court bid to enable them to report on the relationship between one of the country’s richest men and the “toxic bank” whose collapse helped trigger the country’s 2010 bailout.The Irish Times and the public-service broadcaster RTÉ are separately seeking judicia
  
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• Legal aid clawback powers come into force

  01-06-2015 16:06 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Justice minister Shailesh Vara says measures are another step towards ‘fair and credible’ system.
  
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• Sepp Blatter's credibility 'utterly destroyed', says culture secretary - Politics live

  01-06-2015 15:58
  
  Rolling coverage of all the day’s political developments as they happenNo 10 lobby briefing - Summary
  No 10 rules out cutting child benefitLunchtime summary2.58pm BST Labour’s David Hanson says Whittingdale should talk to the culture ministers from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and “start the ball rolling” in Europe.Whittingdale says he will help the FA do what it wants to do. 2.57pm BST Peter Bone, a Conservative, asks if England could boycott the World Cup.Whittingdale says a bo
  
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• Whittingdale answers urgent Commons question on Fifa crisis - Politics live

  01-06-2015 15:37
  
  Rolling coverage of all the day’s political developments as they happenNo 10 lobby briefing - Summary
  No 10 rules out cutting child benefitLunchtime summary2.37pm BST John Whittingdale, the culture secretary, says Fifa’s support for Sepp Blatter was extremely disappointing.Fifa needs to change, he says. 2.35pm BST Chris Bryant, the shadow culture secretary, asks what further actions the government will be taking following the re-election of Sepp Blatter as Fifa president. 2.31pm BST John Whi
  
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• Chinese-owned ABS sets up in London

  01-06-2015 15:30 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Yangtze Law aims to capitalise on the increasing number of Chinese companies looking for foreign investment.
  
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• Cameron 'committed to breaking link with European court of human rights'

  01-06-2015 15:08
  
  Downing Street clarifies PM’s stance, saying he will act to ensure supreme court - not Strasbourg - remains ‘ultimate arbiter of human rights’ in UKDavid Cameron is committed to “breaking the link” between the European court of human rights and the supreme ourt to ensure the UK’s highest court remains the “ultimate arbiter of human rights”, Downing Street has said.The prime minister’s spokeswoman moved to clarify No 10’s thinking amid reports that Cameron had ruled out a UK w
  
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• North of the Wall – A Beginner's Guide to Scots Law - UK Human Rights Blog (blog)

  01-06-2015 14:55
  
  UK Human Rights Blog (blog)
  North of the Wall – A Beginner's Guide to Scots Law
  UK Human Rights Blog (blog)
  With our new team of Scots law researchers in place, the time has come for the briefest of introductions to the Scottish legal system. David Scott is our tour guide. The Court system. The Scottish court system is divided into five tiers: Justices of ...
  
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• Number 10 rules out cutting child benefit - Politics live

  01-06-2015 14:42
  
  Rolling coverage of all the day’s political developments as they happenNo 10 lobby briefing - Summary
  No 10 rules out cutting child benefitLunchtime summary1.42pm BST There is no dispute or division in our party about the policy because the policy is set out in our manifesto and that is what we’ll do. We’ll create that bill of rights, we’ll bring powers back to this country and give the British people the final say over the decisions that affect our lives.The plain facts are, while we ar
  
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• Westcountry law firm Michelmores sets up UK's first Chinese owned YangTze Law - Western Morning News

  01-06-2015 14:12
  
  Western Morning News
  Westcountry law firm Michelmores sets up UK's first Chinese owned YangTze Law
  Western Morning News
  ... : Winston Gao, Malcolm Dickinson, Steve Ng at the launch of YangTze Law − the UK's first wholly Chinese-owned law firm. Comments (0). A Westcountry law firm has launched the UK's first wholly Chinese-owned law firm. Michelmores LLP has set up ...en meer »
  
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• City firm announces first articled apprenticeship

  01-06-2015 13:54 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Mayer Brown becomes the first City firm to offer the alternative route to qualification, almost a year after the scheme was approved.
  
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• Bill proposed to change Pakistan's strict blasphemy law - Catholic Herald Online

  01-06-2015 13:37
  Catholic Herald Online
  Bill proposed to change Pakistan's strict blasphemy law
  Catholic Herald Online
  Christians in Pakistan protest after a bomb attack in 2013. There is hope for a change in the country's blasphemy law (CNS). Christians hope 'black law' will be amended to protect innocent victims. Pakistan's draconian blasphemy law, which has seen ...en meer »
  
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• Employment tribunal caseload rebounds after slump

  01-06-2015 13:14 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  The number of single claims in tribunal cases jumps 16% in six months after slump caused by fees.
  
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• Northern Alabama’s only abortion clinic fights to survive lawmakers' onslaught

  01-06-2015 13:00
  
  The Alabama Women’s Center is facing attacks on several fronts and dire financial straits, all weighing on owner Dalton Johnson: ‘You never get a break’ Related: Anti-abortion battleground broadens as US states fight on 'non-medical' grounds On a sweltering Saturday morning in Huntsville, Alabama, nearly two dozen protesters line up along Sparkman Drive, down the road from a dollar store, a car dealership and an assortment of churches. Motorists cruising down the four-lane road honk their
  
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• Flight delay compensation firm becomes ABS

  01-06-2015 12:43 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  FairPlane approved seven months after a landmark ruling opened the way to a wave of claims against airlines.
  
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• No need to 'rush' EU negotiations, says David Cameron - Politics live

  01-06-2015 12:20
  
  Rolling coverage of all the day’s political developments as they happen 10.59am BST Here are two lines from David Cameron’s ITV interview.Obviously, if I can complete this work earlier, and hold the referendum earlier, that would be good, but I don’t have to rush this. We’ve got a mandate from the British people to go and make this negotiation, to get it right. And that’s what I made a start with last week. 10.46am BST Q: What do you want to achieve in your EU renegotiation?Cameron say
  
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• Ireland's leading media outlets challenge Denis O'Brien injunction

  01-06-2015 11:26
  
  Irish Times and RTÉ argue that public interest is served by reporting statement made by politician under parliamentary privilegeTwo of Ireland’s leading media outlets are to challenge the court order that has prevented them from reporting a statement made in the country’s parliament, the Dáil.The Irish Times newspaper and the broadcaster RTÉ will tomorrow ask the Dublin high court to lift the injunction obtained by businessman Denis O’Brien, whose companies own several newsp
  
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• PM at odds with Theresa May and Michael Gove over human rights

  01-06-2015 10:17
  
  David Cameron is said to have ruled out withdrawal from European convention on human rights – against advice of home secretary and justice secretaryDavid Cameron has ruled out withdrawing from the European convention on human rights despite opposition from Theresa May and Michael Gove, according to reports. The Daily Telegraph reported that there was a cabinet split over whether to simply replace the Human Rights Act with a British bill of rights or to go further and withdraw entirely from the
  
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• Human rights: Tories reject reports of rift between Cameron, May and Gove

  01-06-2015 10:17
  
  David Cameron is said to have ruled out withdrawal from European convention on human rights – against advice of home secretary and justice secretaryDavid Cameron has ruled out withdrawing from the European convention on human rights despite opposition from Theresa May and Michael Gove, according to reports. The Daily Telegraph reported that there was a cabinet split over whether to simply replace the Human Rights Act with a British bill of rights or to go further and withdraw entirely from the
  
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• UK Law Students Save Taxpayers $95000, Devote 2732 Hours to Clients - UKNow (press release)

  01-06-2015 10:08
  UK Law Students Save Taxpayers $95000, Devote 2732 Hours to Clients
  UKNow (press release)
  LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 1, 2015) — The American Bar Association calls on each lawyer to render at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services per year. In the 2014-2015 academic year, University of Kentucky College of Law students went well above and ...
  
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• Small firms lead way with pro bono efforts

  01-06-2015 09:56 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Research shows firms with formal pro bono policies donated more hours of free legal assistance than those without. 
  
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• Ukraine prisoners stranded in legal limbo on the frontline of a war

  01-06-2015 06:00
  
  17,000 inmates were serving sentences in the east before the conflict began. Many remain in jail, with no one to review their cases or authorise their release. Anton Naumlyuk travelled from Artyomovsk to Mariupol to speak to them“When [former president Viktor] Yanukovich was in power, they rammed the prisons to bursting point,” said an inmate at Penal Colony Number 57 in the village of Michurino in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. “If you nicked a bag of potatoes they’d p
  
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• UK hotelier murder: Cong accuses Punjab govt of failing to maintain law and order - Hindustan Times

  01-06-2015 05:57
  
  Hindustan Times
  UK hotelier murder: Cong accuses Punjab govt of failing to maintain law and order
  Hindustan Times
  Hitting out at the Punjab government over the alleged murder of a UK-based NRI hotelier in Jalandhar, Congress on Sunday accused it of failing to maintain law and order in the state. Ranjit Singh, a UK-based hotelier, was allegedly murdered by his ...en meer »
  
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• Taking New Jersey: Riverview Law opens second US office and starts UK ... - Legal Business (blog)

  01-06-2015 01:02
  Legal Business (blog)
  Taking New Jersey: Riverview Law opens second US office and starts UK ...
  Legal Business (blog)
  Riverview Law, the fixed priced legal services business, is set to open a second US office with a launch in New Jersey in August as it looks to broaden its offering in the States. The move marks Riverview Law's first full blooded attempt to win ...
  
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• UK police requests to access phone calls or emails are granted 93% of the time

  01-06-2015 01:01
  
  Campaigners call for a curb on the scale of police access to private communications data as the Tories prepare to expand surveillance powersMinisters are facing calls to curb the scale of police access to private phone and email records, after a report by privacy campaigners found officers were making a request every two minutes and getting access in 93% of cases.The figures, released to Big Brother Watch under freedom of information laws, found there were more than 730,000 requests for communic
  
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• Turkey: where east meets west

  01-06-2015 01:01 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  As it strives to realise its investment potential, Turkey is plagued by alleged rule of law violations – a challenging context in which to advise.
  
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• Financial remedy and Wyatt v Vince

  01-06-2015 01:01 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  The key issues in the ‘highly unusual’ divorce case involving energy entrepreneur Dale Vince and his ex-wife.
  
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• Courtroom abuse sparks new McKenzie friend fears

  01-06-2015 01:01 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Worries that the judiciary does not share concerns that McKenzie friends ‘are cannibalising work that the bar should be doing’.
  
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• Accountancy giant EY ‘not a rival to law firms’

  01-06-2015 01:01 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  The firm last month announced it would establish a ‘legal transaction’ team in Manchester.
  
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