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International Edition

Dutton: 'LSC plan will create 2nd-class system'

Bar Council chairman Timothy Dutton QC has warned that a "second-class system" could result from new legal aid reforms being proposed by the Legal Services Commission (LSC). Speaking in Vienna today (1 February) at the 36th conference of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE), which this year focuses on access to justice, Dutton warned that changes designed to lower costs by requiring practitioners to bid for blocks of criminal work could create a second-class system for legal aid work.
2 minute read

International Edition

Aikens flags up Box Clever case as trial run for litigation reforms

Senior commercial judge Mr Justice Aikens has earmarked the ongoing Box Clever dispute as a 'guinea pig' case, in which he will test the post-BCCI working party recommendations to streamline large-scale commercial litigation.Aikens, the presiding judge on the case, told Legal Week the long-running litigation arising from the collapse of television rental company Box Clever is being used to test some of the key parts of the blueprint drawn up by the working party late last year.
2 minute read

International Edition

Terra Firma stands alone in Box Clever dispute saga

Private equity house Terra Firma has been left as the last remaining defendant in the long-running dispute arising from the collapse of television rental company Box Clever, with a raft of City firms having claimed roles on the saga. A hearing in the High Court yesterday (23 January) revealed that negligence claims brought by French bank Ixis against WestLB and CIBC in 2004 had been dropped, as had deceit claims brought against WestLB in 2005.
2 minute read

International Edition

QC selection: worth the wait for elite 98

The latest round of QC appointments has finally been made public - 18 months after the previous batch of silks were appointed - with just under 100 barristers set to claim the elite kite-mark. The list, published today (22 January), sees 98 lawyers successfully gain QC status. Just under a third (29%) of candidates were successful, with the QC selection body receiving a total of 333 applications.
3 minute read

International Edition

QC selection 2008: the list in full

The latest round of QC appointments in full, by order of seniority
4 minute read

International Edition

JJB price-fixing case prompts calls for group action revamp

Senior litigation lawyers have called for major revisions to the UK's group action regime following a low-key outcome to the pioneering JJB Sports price-fixing case. The case, which settled last week (9 January), saw the sports retailer set aside more than £100,000 in compensation for consumers who had suffered as a consequence of illegally fixing the prices of replica football shirts. The groundbreaking claim, which was pursued by consumer group Which? and legal adviser Clyde & Co, marks the first successful action brought under new powers that allow 'representative claims' on behalf of consumers.
4 minute read

International Edition

Bar's Vos takes access charity chairman role

Former Bar Council chairman Geoffrey Vos QC has taken up a role as chairman of the trustees of the Social Mobility Foundation (SMF). The charity, which aims to help youngsters from underprivileged backgrounds enter major professions, named Vos to replace Conservative MP Oliver Letwin at the helm of its board of trustees.
2 minute read

International Edition

City elite battle OFT in overdraft fees test case

A landmark case brought by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) regarding the fees charged by banks for unauthorised overdrafts is set to hit the High Court later this week (16 January), with a host of top City firms lining up to oppose the competition authority. The case will see the OFT take on seven banks and one building society in a bid to prove that the charges, which have affected thousands of customers, are illegal.
3 minute read

International Edition

New Bar Council head Dutton moves to ensure revamped silk round really is an annual event

Newly-appointed Bar Council chairman Timothy Dutton QC has called for an improvement in the QC selection process to make sure it is completed annually, warning that an overly bureaucratic system could put candidates off.
2 minute read

International Edition

Quadrant Chambers senior clark retires

Quadrant Chambers senior clerk Gordon Armstrong is to take early retirement in mid-January, having served as senior clerk and chambers director since 1984. During his time in office the set expanded from a small set at 2 Essex Court specialising in admiralty law to a commercial chambers of 44 barristers at Quadrant.
1 minute read

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