Clarke plans no win no fee legal reform March 29, 2011 JUSTICE minister Ken Clarke yesterday announced plans to reform the UK’s no-win-no-fee system, lifting the ban on contingency fees that lawyers can claim for the work. Instead of taking a so-called success fee solely from the losing side, lawyers will now be able to claim an agreed percentage of any damages won – sharing the [...]
Why jet-setting employees are a legal headache March 29, 2011 SUPPOSE an employee – let’s call her Snow White – works in Paris but lives in London. How much “home” or “train” work does White need to do to be covered by English laws? In the recent case of British Airways v Mak, the Court of Appeal decided that English tribunals have jurisdiction to hear [...]
The man who wants to get the SFO ready for business March 21, 2011 The country’s top fraudbuster Richard Alderman may be retiring next year but after arresting Robert and Vincent Tchenguiz he has very publicly taken on the fight of his life. Earlier this month, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), of which the 58-year-old Alderman is the director, briefly arrested and questioned the billionaire brothers along with seven [...]
ACWHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING March 3, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES HEDGE FUNDS HEAD FOR MALTA TO ESCAPE REGULATION Some of London’s biggest hedge fund managers are shifting their operations to Malta in response to both the rising costs of business and the growing regulatory burden in the UK. The Mediterranean island is emerging alongside traditional rivals to London, such as Swiss towns Geneva [...]
Companies stuck in the Middle East mayhem must act swiftly March 1, 2011 WHILE the headlines from north Africa and the Middle East speak of the human toll and the fate of Britons, the threat to British companies who have contracts in the region which generate substantial revenue remain near the top of company agendas. Having spent 30 years working in Middle Eastern business and law, including in [...]
Tribunals cost firms £1.6bn February 16, 2011 EMPLOYMENT tribunals cost UK businesses a staggering £1.6bn in 2010, according to new figures released today. According to Ambition, the global recruitment firm, just one in twenty HR professionals fully understands the employment tribunal process. That means the majority of firms – one in five – settle every single tribunal case before they get to court, even if [...]
Immigration cap to spare high earners February 16, 2011 BUSINESSES have welcomed an exemption for high earners from a government immigration cap due to come into force in April. Bankers, lawyers and other highly-paid workers who earn over £150,000 per year will not be subject to the limit. Head of employment policy at the CBI, the employers’ organisation Neil Carberry said: “This announcement of [...]
Lawyers are bad at business? Think again February 8, 2011 THIS paper recently ran an article warning that for lawyers “doom is nigh” and that they should shape up or ship out. The context was the Legal Services Act and its welcome shake up of the way in which legal services can be delivered. The article had many solid, good messages: in summary, cutting overheads [...]
The City’s top headhunter on why firms still need to recruit the best February 6, 2011 PERHAPS not surprisingly, Odgers Berndtson’s boss was in an upbeat mood when City A.M. visited him recently in his large office overlooking Hanover Square in the West End. Last year’s preliminary revenues had just come in: they are an improvement on the year before, always welcome news in the present environment. Richard Boggis-Rolfe, the privately-held [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS February 3, 2011 Savoy Investment Management The wealth management subsidiary of Syndicate Asset Management has hired James Bowles (pictured). Bowles will be responsible for providing tailored services for the north west of England. He was formerly with Anglo Irish Bank, where he had a similar regional brief, and Levi Solicitors in Yorkshire. The firm specialises in portfolios invested [...]