September 2008 Archives

THE new head of one of Cheshire's longest-established law firms is launching a drive to encourage more people to try mediation instead of rushing to court to resolve a dispute.

Mediation can be much cheaper than a court battle, said Brian Dawson, who takes up his post as senior partner at Walker Smith Way solicitors on October 1.

He said not enough people know that mediation is an option for both personal matters, such as a dispute with the builder installing your new kitchen, and business disputes, such as a disagreement between two companies over a commercial contract.

IT IS time for lawyers to put their words into action and increase the use of mediation in commercial disputes - according to research released by Management Partners Merseyside.

LDP Legal asked leading lawyers their views on mediation.

Click here to read what they said.

SOUTHPORT solicitor Eve Austin has been accepted as a member of the national 'Solicitors for the Elderly' association (SFE).

SFE is an association of lawyers who specialise in legal services for older people and their carers.

Members of SFE have a wealth of experience within this key legal area and they are required to have spent a substantial amount of time working for elderly clients.

A LIVERPOOL judge has given a stark warning that people caught carrying knives can expect to be locked up.

Judge Mark Brown made the comments as he jailed Steven Honey for eight months for having a blade as he clashed with his brother.

Judge Brown said: "There is a knife culture, a belief that the carrying of knives is the right thing to do."

A LAW student from Aintree has scooped three top industry awards.

Claire Fitzgerald was awarded the DLA Piper Prize, one of the major national law student awards in the UK. She also won two Norh West regional awards.

The triple-winner grew up in Aintree and studied at Liverpool University where she picked up a 2:1 honours degree in law.

LIVERPOOL-BASED independent financial advisers, Parker Kelly, has been awarded a contract to provide pension advice to a number of employees of local law firm Hill Dickinson.

Hill Dickinson has 143 partners and more than 900 hundred staff based in Liverpool, Manchester, Chester and London.

Parker Kelly will provide advice to members of Hill Dickinson's old pension scheme in respect of a transferral of benefits.

Well a lot has happened since my last blog and I must apologise for the delay. However, I have been so busy and since the last time I blogged, I have got married, went on honeymoon and moved into our new home! We had a great day but like everyone will tell you, it all goes so very quickly.

My wedding day seems to have reflected how my last six months have gone here at Brabners, great time but all happening far too quickly! Without really blinking I had completed my second seat in Private Client and now have started my third seat this week in our Litigation department, which I am very excited to be in. I will be sat with one of the senior Partners in the team, Mark Manley who has a great reputation throughout the City and has many high profile clients. Mark specialises in defamation, privacy, breach of confidence actions and pre-publication advice for newspapers, radio stations, publishers and other broadcasters, which given my background is exactly what floats my boat so to speak, so I am hoping to learn a lot from him in the next six months!

This week is a particularly busy week because our new first year trainees have started and now as a second year, we each have a first year to look after and act as "Mentors", which basically involves showing them the ways of working in the firm and to answer any questions or concerns they may have. It only feels like yesterday when I had a mentor!

I have also been down to my old University, John Moores talking to the LPC students offering them career advice and tips on drafting their CV, interview skills and overcoming the dreaded Assessment Centres. I love anything like that and was happy to help as I have several years experience in that field from my old career. I am also involved with a company called www.personal-mentoring.com, which does exactly that kind of thing, offering career advice to students so it seemed to have been well received. My main advise to all the students was if they are successful in obtaining a training contract, give it 100% and immerse yourself within the firm so you get to know as many people there as possible.

Also this week Brabners Chaffe Street is hosting the Annual European Lawyers Conference, which is based here at Horton House and the Radisson Hotel. With around 100 delegates from all over Europe it is an exciting time to showcase our firm and the City as a whole. A few of the second year trainees have been asked to "host" a group and are under strict instructions not to lose any high profile delegates along the way...So I will make sure I get them home at a reasonable hour and out of Newz bar before last orders!

So the next six months promises to be a challenging but interesting time ahead, pretty much like this week!

Law firm Weightmans has retained a record number of trainee solicitors on completion of their training contract, appointing 13 trainees as solicitors.

In what has proved to be an already promising year for the firm, which posted 14% growth in June, ambitions remain high.

Partner and Training Principal Andrew Cox, commented: "I'm delighted that we have retained 81% of our newly qualified trainees. It is a testament not only to the quality of the training we provide but also to our strong financial performance.

BY DAILY POST CORRESPONDENT

A TEENAGER accused of murdering schoolboy Rhys Jones in Liverpool can now be named as Sean Mercer.

Mercer, of Good Shepherd Close, Croxteth, turned 18 on Wednesday and loses the legal protection banning publication of the names of juveniles.

He has pleaded not guilty to murder and is expected to stand trial next month along with six others in connection with the shooting in August last year of 11-year-old Rhys.

A NEW GCSE in law is being offered by exam board OCR.

Canidates will cover consumer rights, police stop and search powers, fundamental human rights, consumer protection and product liability and safety, and rules on termination of employment and protection from discrimination.

It is one of 93 new exams the board introduced on Tuesday.