April 2007 Archives

LAST week, Trade Secretary Alistair Darling announced an inquiry into the removal of body tissue from 65 former workers at the Sellafield nuclear power plant, who died between 1962 and 1991.

I was saddened by this news, as no doubt this will have come as yet another painful reminder to all those families involved in the issue of organ retention at Alder Hey and other hospitals around the country.

A CITY law firm has set up a new department to deal exclusively with asbestos-related compensation claims.

Thompson Solicitors is also launching a national campaign to achieve justice for asbestos families across the UK, after it was revealed that bereaved families in England and Wales are receiving tens of thousands of pounds less in compensation than their Scottish counterparts.

FOR more information about Thompsons Solicitors Justice for Asbestos Families Campaign, log on to www.thompsons.law.co.uk/ campaigns/justice-for-asbestos-families.htm

"MAKING A Difference" is the theme of this week's Minority Lawyers Conference, which takes place on Saturday.

The conference is a biennial event that provides a forum for black and minority ethnic lawyers of all levels, backgrounds and sectors, to express their views, and meet successful role models within the legal profession from home and abroad.

FORMBY solicitor Alan Cunningham has been thanked for his role in securing a second helicopter for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

DWF asset partner Mr Cunningham provided legal advice on the acquisition.

FOR many couples, deciding to separate and then divorce is a painful and emotionally draining experience, but the turmoil is often prolonged due to lengthy court battles.

However, there is an alternative, as a collective of Merseyside lawyers are eager to inform people.

Cheshire law firm Forshaws has launched an internet based home move case tracking system. .

AN AWARD-WINNING North West law firm which specialises in risk management to the professional sector is celebrating several overseas' successes.

Liverpool-based Legal Risk has become one of the few British law practices to enhance its foreign trade credentials under the Government's Passport to Export scheme. Work on the initiative has led to the firm picking up three new contracts in Ireland, Sweden and Australia.

HOME Information Packs (HIPS) are sneaking up on the legal profession and are about to pounce.
If solicitors and conveyancers are not properly prepared they risk losing control of their business and relying instead on work provided by panel managers with little or no experience within the industry.

MANAGING and senior partners at law firms throughout Merseyside believe that Liverpool businesses are ignoring the legal talent on their own doorstep in favour of London-based solicitors and barristers.

Some also believe there should be positive discrimination to keep the work in city – while others are very much against it.

MERSEYSIDE Probation Service staff have scooped four out of 10 prestigious awards at a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace for their pioneering work and dedication with offenders.

The Butler Trust Awards were presented to four staff by the Trust's patron, HRH The Princess Royal, in honour of their achievements both in the region's prisons and in the community.