On the subject of 2016
Local government lawyers ask SRA who they can work for. »
On October 19th, 2016 MTUK Solicitors wrote on the subject of 2016.
Local government lawyers have asked the Solicitors Regulation Authority to clarify who they can work for under the regulator’s proposals to give solicitors greater practising flexibility. Responding to the SRA’s Looking to the Future consultation on the handbook and code of conduct, the group Lawyers in Local Government says clarity is needed on what is […]
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IP pro bono scheme launched »
On October 18th, 2016 MTUK Solicitors wrote on the subject of 2016.
By Max Walters (18 October 2016) Pro bono scheme has been established to offer free legal advice and support to intellectual property owners involved in legal disputes who cannot ‘reasonably afford’ professional advice. IP Pro Bono will support small businesses and individuals involved in patent, trademark, copyright and design disputes. The initiative is a collaboration […]
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Fixed fees popular among lawyers’ clients »
On October 18th, 2016 MTUK Solicitors wrote on the subject of 2016.
Three-quarters of lawyers believe they deliver ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ value for money – but fewer that one-third of their clients agree, according to research published today. LexisNexis’s mini bellwether report states that lawyers, under immense pressure to lower their fees, tend to equate value with price. ‘Having done so, they now feel they are […]
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‘Dumbing down’ fears over legal super-exam »
On October 13th, 2016 MTUK Solicitors wrote on the subject of 2016.
By Max Walters (16 October 2016) The profession has reacted with scepticism to proposals to plough ahead with a super-exam for all would-be solicitors, expressing fears of ‘dumbing down’ – and that smaller firms may lose out on trainees. One legal academic described the plans as ‘useless’. The Solicitors Regulation Authority last week began its […]
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IPO trademark boom ‘may be caused by Brexit vote’ »
On October 7th, 2016 MTUK Solicitors wrote on the subject of 2016.
Trademark applications at the UK Intellectual Property increased by 18% year on year, a possible sign that rights owners are making contingency plans in the wake of the vote to leave the EU. Statistics released by the office this week show that in September last year there were 4,562 applications, compared to 5,390 in September […]
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Bar Council head backs Truss call for greater diversity »
On October 5th, 2016 MTUK Solicitors wrote on the subject of 2016.
The chair of the bar council has supported demands by justice secretary Liz Truss to increase diversity in the justice system and has called for the bar and judiciary to ‘reflect society at large’. Chantal-Aimee Doerries said today that ’everyone wants to see greater progression’ for female as well as black, asian and minority ethnic […]
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Online courts ‘need further thought’, legal year event hears »
On October 4th, 2016 MTUK Solicitors wrote on the subject of 2016.
By Max Walters (4 October 2016) Proposals for online courts to handle all civil claims up to £25,000 have not been fully thought through and could see vulnerable people lose access to justice, an event to mark the opening of the legal year heard today. Peter Wright, managing director of technology firm DigitalLaw UK and […]
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IT success stories show online court can work – Briggs »
On September 30th, 2016 MTUK Solicitors wrote on the subject of 2016.
The architect of the future online court system says recent experience of IT projects gives him confidence the scheme will succeed. Lord Justice Briggs, whose recommendations for online dispute resolution are being consulted on by the government, said civil litigation is on the ‘threshold of a technological revolution’. Speaking at a Law Society event on […]
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Briggs: online court will take the ‘A’ out of ‘ADR’ »
On September 27th, 2016 MTUK Solicitors wrote on the subject of 2016.
Mediation will become the cultural norm should a new online court dealing with all monetary claims up to £25,000 become reality, Lord Justice Briggs has predicted. Briggs told the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators’ mediation symposium this morning that his recommendation for a three-stage court will bring alternative dispute resolution ‘into the mainstream’ of civil dispute […]
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Society raps report branding solicitors ‘corruption enablers’ »
On September 23rd, 2016 MTUK Solicitors wrote on the subject of 2016.
The Law Society today slammed an official report that brands solicitors as facilitators of corruption, claiming it fails to acknowledge the work the profession has done to clamp down on economic crime. In this year’s National Strategic Assessment, its third annual analysis of the threat posed by serious and organised crime, the National Crime Agency […]
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