Irritated Dominic Raab warns today’s barrister strike ‘only delays justice for victims’ as lawyer walkout begins June 27, 2022 Barristers are staging court walkouts for several days from today in a dispute over legal aid funding. They will also refuse to accept new cases and to carry out “return work” – stepping in and picking up court hearings and other work for colleagues whose cases are overrunning. Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said the barrister [...]
Top QCs accuse Lord Chief Justice of seeking to ‘intimidate’ striking barristers June 27, 2022 Tens of top QCs have accused the head of the judiciary in England and Wales of seeking to “intimidate” barristers with warnings they could face disciplinary action if they take part in strikes. In an open letter in The Times, senior barristers hit out at the Lord Chief Justice after he issued guidance telling judges [...]
Criminal barristers push ahead with strike action over legal aid fees June 27, 2022 Criminal barristers are today set to walk out of courts across England and Wales, after last week voting to strike amid a long-running dispute with the government over legal aid fees. Barristers, who are expected to picket outside of London’s Old Bailey court today, are calling on the government to increase legal aid fees by [...]
PwC to give 11,000 workers their biggest pay rise in a decade June 26, 2022 PwC is set to give around half of its UK workforce their biggest pay rise in a decade, in hiking around 11,000 of its workers base salaries. The accountancy firm is set to give a nine per cent pay rise to around half of its more than 22,000 staff – at a cost to [...]
Solicitors’ watchdog advances crackdown on ‘lawfare’ with more than 20 SLAPP investigations June 26, 2022 The solicitors’ watchdog has launched more than 20 investigations into UK law firms over their involvement in SLAPP lawsuits, as part of its efforts to crack down on the use of Britain’s libel laws to silence the press and other legitimate criticism. The Solicitor’s Regulation Authority (SRA) now has more than 20 open cases over [...]
Consulting and finance firms hire more black candidates when using anonymous ‘skills-based’ tests in the hiring process June 26, 2022 City employers are more likely to hire black candidates if they rely on anonymised, “skills-based” assessments in the hiring process, instead of more traditional interview methods, new research shows. Finance and consulting firms hired 79 per cent more black candidates when they relied on skill-based assessments, over more traditional methods such as cover letters, group [...]
Tory MP warns of ‘conflicts of interest’ in UK’s accounting watchdog after FRC hired EY to advise on plans June 26, 2022 A Tory MP has warned of potential conflicts of interest inside the UK’s accounting watchdog, following reports that Britain’s Financial Reporting Council (FRC) brought in consultants from EY to advise on one of its plans. Tory MP Kevin Hollinrake hit out at the FRC for hiring advisors from the Big Four auditor, as the watchdog [...]
UAE fund turns on top City lawyer in bid to exit Iranian-American airline tycoon’s hacked emails case June 23, 2022 Embattled City lawyer Neil Gerrard suffered another blow this week, after his former client, an Emirati sovereign fund, turned on the ex-Dechert partner, after offering to pay $1m to settle a case brought against it by a powerful Iranian-American business tycoon. The fund’s efforts to distance itself from Dechert’s former head of white-collar crime comes [...]
Chinese firm that owns Lloyd’s building brings in architects to draw up plans if insurer leaves June 23, 2022 The Chinese insurance giant that owns Lloyd’s of London’s City headquarters has brought architects into the Grade I listed building to come up with ideas for what to do with it if Lloyds decides to leave. China’s biggest insurer Ping An – which bought the Lloyd’s building for £260m in 2013 – has brought in [...]
City watchdog hits Ghana International Bank with £5.8m fine over money laundering failures June 23, 2022 The UK’s financial watchdog has fined Ghana International Bank £5.8m over its poor anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing control measures. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) fined the London bank over its failure to carry out proper checks for money laundering. The watchdog said that while there is no evidence any money laundering actually took place, [...]