High Court upholds lawyer’s entitlement to costs on DBA termination – Litigation Futures

Posted July 13th, 2020 in costs, damages, fees, law firms, news, solicitors by sally

‘A damages-based agreement (DBA) was not unenforceable because it obliged the client to pay incurred costs and expenses when she exercised her contractual right of termination, the High Court has ruled.’

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Litigation Futures, 13th July 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Immigration solicitors permanently banned from unregulated firms – Legal Futures

‘Solicitors handling immigration work can only do so from organisations overseen by a legal regulator or the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC), the Solicitors Regulation Authority has decided.’

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Legal Futures, 13th July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Article on Costs – Becket Chambers

Posted July 10th, 2020 in chambers articles, costs, news, solicitors, time limits by sally

‘The possibility of a detailed assessment of their costs under Section 70 of the Solicitors Act 1974 (the “Act”) is a possibility that all solicitors should be alive too. It is likely to be encountered in some sense during the course of a career and clients are becoming increasingly aware of the option. When a client changes firms it is also not uncommon for the new solicitors to advise on the prospect of a detailed assessment of the previous bills, especially if they seem high.’

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Becket Chambers, 3rd July 2020

Source: becket-chambers.co.uk

SRA to review regime for checking solicitors’ competence – Legal Futures

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is to launch a review of its approach to solicitors’ continuing competence, it has emerged.’

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Legal Futures, 9th July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Inquiry was “right to refuse” participants choice of lawyer – Legal Futures

Posted July 8th, 2020 in blood products, compensation, inquiries, medical treatment, news, solicitors by sally

‘The High Court has upheld a decision refusing two ‘core participants’ in the infected blood public inquiry the right to nominate their own solicitors.’

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Legal Futures, 8th July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Appeal judges reject divorcee’s negligence claim – Legal Futures

Posted July 8th, 2020 in appeals, damages, divorce, families, fees, law firms, negligence, news, solicitors, time limits by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has upheld a ruling that a negligence claim brought by a woman against her law firm over its work on her divorce was out of time.’

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Legal Futures, 8th July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Criminals’ ‘go-to’ solicitor struck off while in jail – Legal Futures

‘A solicitor who was the ‘go to’ lawyer for a gang of criminals because he would not ask too many questions about where their money came has been struck off while serving seven years in jail.’

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Legal Futures, 7th July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Solicitor amended form of authority not knowing client was dead – Legal Futures

Posted July 6th, 2020 in deceit, disciplinary procedures, documents, news, solicitors by sally

‘A solicitor who amended a client’s form of authority when he could not contact her and then sent it to her former employer – not knowing she had died – has been struck off for dishonesty.’

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Legal Futures, 6th July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

GMC Allowed to Investigate Dual-Qualified Doctor/Solicitor for Actions Taken in Legal Practice – Old Square Chambers

‘In the recent case of Dr Ogunsanya and Taylor Woods Solicitors v General Medical Council [2020] EWHC 1500 (QB), Eady J rejected the Claimants’ application for an injunction against the General Medical Council (‘GMC’) preventing the GMC from investigating the actions of the First Claimant (who is dual qualified as a doctor and as a solicitor) on the basis that the GMC had no jurisdiction because he was acting in his capacity as a solicitor, and not as a doctor, at the time. In rejecting the application, Eady J held that the allegations, amounting as they did to potential allegations of dishonesty, did fall within the GMC’s jurisdiction given their potential to prejudice the reputation of the profession. That there might be an overlap with another regulatory regime (that of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (‘SRA’)) did not oust that jurisdiction.’

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Old Square Chambers, 23rd June 2020

Source: www.oldsquare.co.uk

Solicitor “should not have served claim by post” after lockdown – Litigation Futures

‘A solicitor who served proceedings on a council by post two days after lockdown had gone into effect showed “poor judgement”, a High Court judge has ruled.’

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Litigation Futures, 29th June 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Evans v Betesh Partnership and McGinty [2020] EWHC 1589 (QB) – Parklane Plowden Chambers

‘High Court decision (24/06/20) concerning solicitor/barrister professional negligence arising out of a personal injury case.’

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Parklane Plowden Chambers, 24th June 2020

Source: www.parklaneplowden.co.uk

Solicitor fined after conviction for abusive Facebook messages – Legal Futures

‘A junior solicitor diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome who was convicted after sending a woman he briefly dated a series of abusive Facebook messages has been fined £10,000 by a disciplinary tribunal.’

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Legal Futures, 24th June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Solicitor claimant backtracks on request for male judge – Legal Futures

‘An employment tribunal has rejected claims of bias by a solicitor claimant who asked and then retracted a request to replace a female judge with a male one.’

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Legal Futures, 23rd June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Solicitor faked court documents to mislead client – Legal Futures

‘A solicitor has been struck off for falsifying court documents to make a client think his application to extend his leave to remain in the UK had been made before the leave had expired.’

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Legal Futures, 22nd June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Windrush lawyer Jacqueline McKenzie: ‘The Home Office is treating people with contempt’ – The Guardian

Posted June 23rd, 2020 in citizenship, colonies, deportation, immigration, news, racism, solicitors by sally

‘The lawyer representing 200 victims of the Windrush scandal says systemic racism is at the root of the problem.’

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The Guardian, 22nd June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Claimant loses all costs after assessment misconduct – Litigation Futures

Posted June 22nd, 2020 in civil procedure rules, costs, fees, law firms, news, sanctions, solicitors by sally

‘A claimant has lost all of his remaining entitlement to costs because of misconduct during the assessment process.’

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Litigation Futures, 19th June 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Firm’s £13k legal bill ‘requires explanation’, rules costs judge – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted June 18th, 2020 in accounts, costs, fees, news, solicitors by sally

‘A senior costs judge has ruled that a client should be allowed a closer analysis of 14 invoices issued by her solicitors over the course of a year.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 16th June 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Relief from sanctions overturned for “egregious” conduct – Litigation Futures

‘A High Court judge has overturned relief from sanctions granted to a claimant in a medical negligence case, partly because of her solicitor’s “egregious” conduct.’

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Litigation Futures, 15th June 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

GMC can investigate solicitor doctor over legal advice – Legal Futures

‘A claim that a solicitor who is also a doctor provided dishonest advice to his clients can be subject to the General Medical Council’s (GMC) disciplinary process, the High Court has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 15th June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

90% of law firms “breaching transparency rules” – Legal Futures

‘The news comes with the regulator planning to step up its checks.’

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Legal Futures, 15th June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk