August 2009 Archives

IT IS a dilemma that many have faced at one point or another - if you stumble across money in the street would you pocket it, leave it where it is or take it to the police?

If you abide by the old adage of finders keepers the former would certainly apply but would most people be aware they were committing theft?

The case of Amanda and Michael Stacey (for a news story, click here) has certainly brought the legal issues surrounding this old debate into the public domain.

I KNOW, I know. It's been two months since my last blog and I can't even blame swine flu. Contributory factors include work, work, more work, a couple of hen weekends and the odd wedding.

And playing British summer weather hokey cokey with the cushions for the outdoor furniture takes up a lot of time.

August is, for me, traditionally a tricky month for achieving pretty much anything really.

ALL the time we are being told the importance of cervical screening and how we should be regularly screened.

And everyone was so stunned by the tragic death of Jade Goody when she lost her life to cervical cancer earlier this year, leaving behind her two young children.

We were told by the newspapers that Jade was regularly screened, which made me ask "Did she receive the correct standard of care whilst undergoing the cervical screening tests?".

KIRWANS solicitor Philip Gray replies to a comment left on his earlier post on the prospective reform of legal costs in libel actions, which can be found here.

Simon - Thank you for your comments. Dealing with your first point, the principal of proportionality implies that unless there is good reason, costs should not exceed the value of a claim.

Of course there are a number of reasons why it may be just to allow costs to exceed the value of the claim, a good example being libel actions, where the claimant is primarily concerned with vindicating her reputation rather than receiving limited damages.

A MERSEYSIDE law firm is urging recession stricken small firms not to "bury their head in the sand" as a second wave of business collapses looms in the autumn.

Mace & Jones insolvency unit partner Graeme Jump said while many exposed companies have already succumbed to the pressures of the recession, a new round is inevitable after the summer break.

Official figures show that North West insolvencies dropped to 35 in June, compared to an average of 48 per month since the start of the year.

JUNIOR lawyers worried about their next career steps had a crisis meeting with senior industry figures last week.

They are concerned the bleak economic outlook and an increase in graduates means getting a job is harder than ever.

After leaving university and law school, many budding lawyers are shouldering debts of up to £30,000.