July 2007 Archives

MERSEYSIDE has experienced an increase of nearly 7% more legal aid cases in the region on last year.

More than 32,000 cases of civil legal help were funded by legal aid in the Liverpool area in the last 12 months, according to the Legal Services Commission, 6.85% more than last year’s 30,352.

CHILDREN’S solicitor Sophia Khan, of the National Youth Advocacy Service, a Wirral-based children’s rights charity, has been recognised for her work in the field of child law by picking up an outstanding newcomer award.

She received the award from Lord Justice Wilson, at the annual Association of Law-yers for Children Hershman Levy Memorial Lecture at South Bank University.

A LEADING legal services professional has become one of the few women to be inducted as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Carolyn Roberson, director of client services and development at law firm Hill Dickinson, becomes only the 234th woman Fellow out of more than 2,000 Fellows.

BUSINESSES are still baffled by the smoking ban, four weeks after it was introduced.

The new law was brought in on July 1 to ban smoking in all enclosed spaces, including offices, pubs and restaurants.

A MERSEYSIDE solicitor has branded as 'farcical' a decision to refuse legal aid for a farmer who had won the right to take the Government to the High Court over the slaughter of his cattle.

David Dobbin lost all 560 of his cows after they were seized by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs following what he claims was an 18-month “witch hunt�.

When a judge granted the Chester-based farmer leave to pursue a judicial review into Defra’s actions, it was hailed as a landmark decision for British farmers.

SOUTHPORT-based law firm Barnetts Solicitors has progressed into the regional stages of the National Training Awards, with the company said to have shown an “outstanding commitment to training and development�.

LIVERPOOL company Goldsmith Williams has been named Conveyancer of the Year at the British Mortgage Awards.

Law firm Halliwells is now acting for all the major banks in Liverpool, after being appointed to Barclays' new lending and finance panel.

The prestigious appointment comes after a review by Barclays - one of the world's largest banks, with more than 350 lawyers across the globe and revenues in excess of £20b.

LAWYERS at the Liverpool office of DLA Piper are celebrating securing a place on two panels which provide procurement advice to public sector organisations. The appointments allow the firm to compete for £500m of work over the next four years.

Under a scheme known as Catalist, advisory panels create framework documents such as standard contracts and are approved to work on individual projects.

A PLAYWRIGHT who claims a comedy drama series filmed and produced on Merseyside was her idea is to sue a well-known scriptwriter for “passing it off as her own�.

Bonkers, starring Liza Tarbuck, was filmed at locations around the Liverpool region and aired on ITV1 in February.