Lawyer news

• Judge rules in battle of the ukulele orchestras

  02-07-2015 21:13
  
  High court finds Erwin Clausen of Germany guilty of passing off his UK Ukulele Orchestra as the successful Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain A high court judge has ruled in an extraordinary copycat row between two rival ukulele orchestras.A band of veteran pluckers from London who have earned millions in a 30-year career, which has included sell-out concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and performances with Robbie Williams, claimed victory against a rival group launched in Germany with a remarkabl
  
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• Anorexia and rape are men’s problems too | Letters

  02-07-2015 20:48
  
  It is simply untrue to say, “about 107,100 cases concerning violence against women and girls were prosecuted over the [past] 12 months”(Report, 25 June).Responsibility for this error, however, lies not with your staff but with the Crown Prosecution Service and its report, misleadingly entitled Violence Against Women and Girls, Crime Report 2014-15. Despite the title, this analysis included more than 13,000 male victims of crimes including rape, sexual assault, child abuse and domestic violen
  
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• Costs budgeting rules to be disapplied for three months

  02-07-2015 18:42 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Clinical negligence claims in London to be granted release to deal with backlog of delays.
  
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• Labour and SNP attack government's 'English votes for English laws' plan

  02-07-2015 17:48
  
  Labour and Scottish National parties say Tory proposals to allow English MPs power of veto over devolved issues put United Kingdom at risk
  A Labour-led government with a majority reliant on Scottish MPs could struggle to pass legislation relating to hospitals and schools under Conservative plans to introduce English votes for English laws.The proposals brought forward by Chris Grayling, the leader of the Commons, would give English MPs two chances to veto legislation and clauses relating to devo
  
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• With his ‘government of chums’, Cameron’s stumbled upon a good idea | Matthew d’Ancona

  02-07-2015 17:10
  
  To reduce the privy council to a club providing gongs to Friends of Dave would be demeaning. But promoting Ed Llewellyn and Lord Feldman makes political senseHas appointment to the privy council become the poor man’s knighthood? Such is the conclusion that many have drawn after the election to Her Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council of Ed Llewellyn, David Cameron’s chief of staff, and Lord Feldman, the Tory party chairman.Barring a scandal of the sort that brought down Jonathan Aitken,
  
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• Redundancies likely as PI giant plans office closures

  02-07-2015 16:14 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Thompsons Solicitors says it needs to restructure the business to remain viable and resilient.
  
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• Police should use body cameras for every London stop and search – report

  02-07-2015 15:36
  
  Report chaired by Doreen Lawrence and Tessa Jowell argues that with no official guidelines the Met leaves body-worn video usage up to individual officersFrontline Metropolitan police officers should be forced to wear video cameras during all stop and search interactions in London, a new report has said.Chaired by Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Labour’s mayoral leadership hopeful Dame Tessa Jowell, the report is the result of six months of work with young people from across the capital, drawing o
  
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• Rights group calls for abolition of the dock

  02-07-2015 14:10 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  JUSTICE report says dock forms ‘extension of the prison cell’ and prejudices juries.
  
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• Unions fear supreme court case could deal severe blow across public sector

  02-07-2015 13:35
  
  If the country’s highest court rules that employees do not have to pay ‘fair-share fees’, it could effectively extend so-called ‘right-to-work’ law nationwideThe US supreme court agreed this week to hear a case that could deal a severe blow to public-sector unions nationwide. If the court rules against unions in this case – and many labor leaders fear it will – it could in effect create a nationwide “right to work” law for public-sector workers, a development that could sap uni
  
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• Unions fear supreme court case could create 'right to work' across public sector

  02-07-2015 13:35
  
  If the country’s highest court rules that employees do not have to pay ‘fair-share fees’, it could deal a severe blow to union finances in government sectorThe US supreme court agreed this week to hear a case that could deal a severe blow to public-sector unions nationwide. If the court rules against unions in this case – and many labor leaders fear it will – it could in effect create a nationwide “right to work” law for public-sector workers, a development that could sap union tre
  
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• Judge cleared of misconduct over 'Harry Potter' comment

  02-07-2015 12:34 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Lord chancellor says circuit judge was ’entitled to challenge the appearance’ of solicitor-advocate Alan Blacker.
  
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• Legal aid cuts will hurt vulnerable people, not ‘fatcat’ lawyers | John Briant

  02-07-2015 12:03
  
  As a lawyer, I have always treated legal aid and private clients equally. The extent of the cuts means I cannot honestly say if that is still trueThis week I represented a man suffering from delusions. Part of the evidence against him was a letter explaining he had sold his soul and wanted recompense for this. Yet the police were unwilling to even consider that he might have mental health problems. This was despite being told that he had been referred by his GP for an urgent psychiatric assessme
  
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• Olswang cuts debt but partner profit is flat

  02-07-2015 10:46 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  International firm boosted income by 8% last year but IT investment held down partner earnings.
  
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• PI specialist extends reach in response to 'seismic changes'

  02-07-2015 10:05 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Thorneycroft Solicitors will offer a range of services after securing an ABS licence with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
  
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• Ballot shows overwhelming support for legal aid boycott

  02-07-2015 09:23 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  More than 1,000 criminal practitioners vote in favour of direct action against the government’s cuts.
  
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• The Undercurrent: Forget the TPP, does a secret global court spell the end of democracy?

  02-07-2015 02:24
  
  With a series of murky international trade agreements like the TPP being negotiated, will a secret court give corporations the power to erode the rights of nation states? The TPP includes an Investor State Dispute Settlement clause that allows a secret court (ICSID; International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes) with global reach to arbitrate disputes between multinationals and the countries they operate in, potentially forcing governments to change sovereign laws or pay compensatio
  
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• The Undercurrent asks: is the TPP the end of democracy? – video

  02-07-2015 02:24
  
  With a series of murky international trade agreements like the TPP being negotiated, will a secret court give corporations the power to erode the rights of nation states? The TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership), TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), and Tisa (Trade in Services Agreement) are being negotiated behind closed doors in Washington and Canberra. They all include an Investor State Dispute Settlement clause that allows a secret court (ICSID) with global reach to arbitrate di
  
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• PEP climbs 8% at A&O

  02-07-2015 01:01 via lawgazette.co.uk
  
  Magic circle firm reports sixth consecutive year of growth in income and profits.
  
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