November 2007 Archives
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Liverpool's Big Dig: We want your opinion
Posted by David Higgerson on November 30, 2007 6:46 PM
The Liverpool Daily Post has launched a survey to get opinions about the Big Dig and how it has affected Liverpool
Click here to take part
If you have any comments on the big dig, either leave them below or email makethenews@dailypost.co.uk
City barrister 'star of the regions'
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 28, 2007 6:55 AM
MARTINE Snowdon, a barrister at Exchange Chambers in Liverpool, has been named as a "future star of the regions" by The Times newspaper.
Martine was one of only two barristers profiled in the feature which details "the UK's bright young lawyers".
Continue reading "City barrister 'star of the regions'"
New witness interview scheme to be piloted in Merseyside
Posted by David Higgerson on November 28, 2007 12:08 AM
Prosecution lawyers will be allowed to interview their witnesses before the start of trials under a new scheme announced today.
The system will give barristers the opportunity to assess the reliability and character of their witnesses before they give evidence in court.
Continue reading "New witness interview scheme to be piloted in Merseyside"
New contracts equal "more efficient service"
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 27, 2007 7:00 AM
THE acting regional director of the Legal Services Commission (LSC) has spoken about changes to the contracts of criminal lawyers, which they say could send them out of business.
In an exclusive interview with Legal Week, John Binks said a new fixed standard fee payment for police station attendance and duty solicitor call-outs will result in a more efficient service that is better value for money.
Continue reading "New contracts equal "more efficient service""
Cricketers speak at motivational forum
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 27, 2007 6:58 AM
CRICKETER Alec Stewart was the headline draw at a sports motivational forum recently held by Merseyside law firm Leeds Lloyd Whitley for the benefit of Liverpool businesses.
Mr Stewart, the most-capped English cricketer in one day internationals and test matches, gave a presentation on the importance of innovation to success in sport and how it can translate into the business world.
Continue reading "Cricketers speak at motivational forum"
OPINION: Bill Chandler
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 27, 2007 6:55 AM
Bill Chandler, partner and commercial property specialist at Hill Dickinson, discusses the legality of sprinklers in warehouses
Continue reading "OPINION: Bill Chandler"
New appointments at Morecrofts
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 26, 2007 7:00 AM
MERSEYSIDE solicitors Morecrofts has undertaken a major recruitment drive, with nine new appointments at the Liverpool and Birkenhead offices.
Continue reading "New appointments at Morecrofts"
EAD announces next senior partner
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 23, 2007 7:05 AM
LAW firm EAD has announced that long standing partner Mike Sexton is to take on the role of senior partner at the beginning of the next financial year.
Continue reading "EAD announces next senior partner"
England loses: Victims of domestic violence increase
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 23, 2007 7:00 AM
FOLLOWING the England team's lost to Croatia two nights ago, hundreds of women are now facing a much worse prospect.
Research has shown that domestic violence increases during major sporting events – often as much as 40 per cent during football tournaments. And the more stressful the game – or in this case a devastating loss: the more violence results.
Continue reading "England loses: Victims of domestic violence increase"
What the public thinks of barristers
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 22, 2007 6:55 AM
WHAT the public and the Bar's key stakeholders think about barristers and the services they provide is revealed in the first ever benchmark survey of the profession, published today.
The study, by Ipsos MORI, was commissioned by the Bar Standards Board, which regulates 14,000 barristers in England and Wales, to inform its work in the interests of consumers, the wider public and the justice system.
Continue reading "What the public thinks of barristers"
Lawyers bid for Reds prize
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 21, 2007 6:55 AM
TWO lawyers who bid £14,000 in a charity auction for the chance to meet the Liverpool FC squad have finally come face to face with their sporting idols.
Reds fans Michael Sandys and Paul Ford, who are partners at Kirwans Solicitors, bid for the prize at The Anthony Walker Foundation gala dinner earlier this year.
Continue reading "Lawyers bid for Reds prize"
Specialist firm one of the best in the UK
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 20, 2007 6:55 AM
A LIVERPOOL law firm specialising in industrial disease cases has been named one of the best in the country for its work.
John Pickering & Partners LLP has been ranked as one of the top companies of its kind for industrial disease litigation in the client law guide Chambers 2008.
Continue reading "Specialist firm one of the best in the UK"
Solicitor seeks buyer for rare EFC memorabilia
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 20, 2007 6:53 AM
MORE than 10,000 items charting over a century of footballing history are on the brink of being sold, with a Liverpool solicitor overseeing the deal.
Continue reading "Solicitor seeks buyer for rare EFC memorabilia"
OPINION: Stuart Rathe warns of sale and rent back
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 20, 2007 6:50 AM
THERE has been huge media interest in recent weeks in so-called ‘sale and rent back’ schemes, where companies purchase properties for up to 60% below market value.
These companies generally give no security to the occupier beyond a 6 to 12 month tenancy. They are typically used by vulnerable people in financial difficulty.
However, a clear distinction should be made between these dangerous sale and rent back schemes and safe, regulated equity release schemes for older homeowners.
Continue reading "OPINION: Stuart Rathe warns of sale and rent back"
Lord Mayor welcomes legal delegates
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 19, 2007 7:00 AM
OVER 130 delegates from local authorities throughout the country gathered at Liverpool Town Hall last week for Exchange Chambers’ annual conference for local authorities, registered social landlords and their insurers.
Continue reading "Lord Mayor welcomes legal delegates"
Plaudits for Brabners
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 19, 2007 6:55 AM
LAWYERS with corporate law firm Brabners Chaffe Street have been named among the very best in the North West in a survey of the region’s legal scene.
Continue reading "Plaudits for Brabners"
Tate talk goes global
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 16, 2007 6:55 AM
DLA Piper in Liverpool is playing its part in highlighting the city’s cultural offer to an international audience through its sponsorship of Tate Liverpool.
News of one of the cornerstones of the city’s cultural programme for 2008 was broadcast across the firm’s global network to a potential audience of some 6,000 people.
Continue reading "Tate talk goes global"
Fundraising at Goodmans
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 16, 2007 6:55 AM
A Waterloo law firm added a touch of pink to their office in a bid to raise money for Breast Cancer Care.
Continue reading "Fundraising at Goodmans"
Atlantic Chambers on hand for mentoring scheme
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 15, 2007 6:55 AM
ATLANTIC Chambers is one of several leading Liverpool law firms participating in a scheme with the University of Liverpool to help shape Liverpool’s lawyers of the future.
Continue reading "Atlantic Chambers on hand for mentoring scheme"
Solicitors rally to support peers in Pakistan
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 15, 2007 6:55 AM
LAW Society President, Liverpool solicitor Andrew Holroyd has lead legal professionals in a demonstration showing support for the lawyers, judges and Pakistani society who are suffering as a result of the severe restrictions placed on the judiciary and the court system by General Musharraf, in an attempt to insulate his rule from legal challenge.
Continue reading "Solicitors rally to support peers in Pakistan"
Key appointment for Weightmans
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 14, 2007 6:51 AM
WEIGHTMANS has strengthened its position as a growing commercial force in the Liverpool market with the appointment of Ian Vicary as a partner.
Continue reading "Key appointment for Weightmans"
DWF gears up to enter UK top 30
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 14, 2007 6:45 AM
AFTER a year of rapid growth which has established its position as one of the largest law firms in the North, DWF is embarking on a new phase of development with the aim of becoming one of the UK’s top 30 law firms in the next three years.
Continue reading "DWF gears up to enter UK top 30"
Merseyside firms in merger
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 13, 2007 6:50 AM
LIVERPOOL law firm EAD has continued its expansion by amalgamating Widnes-based Poole Swale into its practice.
Continue reading "Merseyside firms in merger"
OPINION: Philip Byrne on the Rating (Empty Properties) Act
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 13, 2007 6:47 AM
COMMERCIAL landlords will no longer to be able to enjoy significant business rate allowances on empty properties due to the Rating (Empty Properties) Act 2007, which takes effect on April 1 2008, writes Philip Byrne, associate in commercial property at Brabners Chaffe Street.
Continue reading "OPINION: Philip Byrne on the Rating (Empty Properties) Act"
Pro bono week begins
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 13, 2007 6:45 AM
YESTERDAY marked the start of the sixth National Pro Bono Week.
Originally launched to celebrate the range and impact of pro bono activity undertaken by lawyers, this year the focus is on international pro bono and law students' involvement in pro bono projects.
Continue reading "Pro bono week begins"
Carry on Christmas
Posted by Phil Rees-Roberts on November 12, 2007 11:27 AM
At this time of year the invites come in thick and fast, with client Christmas parties, the annual Law Society and Lord Taverners Dinner and our own Christmas event all vying for space in the diary.
Now, being the delegator that I am I will be attending as many of these parties as I can, which does unfortunately leave me little time to arrange my own, much to the chagrin of my colleagues.
By Liverpool standards I’ve left the planning of the Rees-Roberts Christmas too late; my experience working at other law firms in my early career suggests that the Christmas do should be booked by the June solstice and the set menu decided by late August - there’s nothing quite like choosing your turkey and roast veg combo in the dwindling days of summer.
Continue reading "Carry on Christmas"
New faces at Rees-Roberts
Posted by Phil Rees-Roberts on November 12, 2007 11:19 AM
The team at boutique property practice Rees-Roberts Solicitors has been strengthened by three new appointments.
Continue reading "New faces at Rees-Roberts"
Judge block to remain in place
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 12, 2007 2:40 AM
The convention that former judges cannot return to practice as barristers or solicitors will remain, the Government has confirmed.
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Jack Straw made his decision after considering responses both for and against return to legal practice.
Continue reading "Judge block to remain in place"
e-disclosure presents a big challenge for litigation lawyers
Posted by Mark Goodwin on November 9, 2007 5:20 PM
The proliferation of email presents litigation lawyers with an arduous task in terms of gathering evidence relevant to court proceedings.
For one of our cases this meant travelling to West Africa to uncover the plethora of electronically stored information held by our client locally. This exercise uncovered in excess of 60,000 documents, which is not unusual in terms of the amount of information organisations store electronically.
Continue reading "e-disclosure presents a big challenge for litigation lawyers"
Lawyers' chief insists: We're not fat cats
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 9, 2007 7:35 AM
Barristers should receive the same recognition as nurses, doctors and teachers for their work as public servants, a lawyers’ leader said today.
Bar chairman Geoffrey Vos QC insisted that “perhaps half” of barristers worked for relatively modest fees and were “in no sense fat cats”.
Continue reading "Lawyers' chief insists: We're not fat cats"
Berrymans Lace Mawer expands into Wales
Posted by Vicky Anderson on November 9, 2007 7:10 AM
Berrymans Lace Mawer has launched in Wales with the opening of a branch in Cardiff to boost its profile in South Wales and the West Country.
The office, which opened last week, is headed by Matthew Harrington who joins from Cartwright Black Cardiff where he headed the personal injury team.
Continue reading "Berrymans Lace Mawer expands into Wales"
Atlantic Chambers on hand for mentoring scheme: Dear Vicky, thank you for sharing the good news ab
Legal aid fight for campaigner: I do agree very much with what Mrs campbell says h
Resolution's Liverpool chair backs Judge: Hasn't Mr. Justice Coleridge forgotten that part o
Collaborative law a "realistic alternative": Karen is right to highlight the advantages separa
Law Society backs "phone tap" evidence: I think phone tapping is a somewhat intrusive ende