Roman Abramovich used ‘barrage’ of legal threats to silence journalist, MPs hear March 17, 2022 A prominent British journalist has said she received legal threats from Roman Abramovich after she published a book laying out the oligarch’s links to Vladimir Putin. Reuters journalist Catherine Belton told MPs she received a “barrage” of legal threats from Russian oligarchs, including sanctioned billionaire Roman Abramovich and Everton backer Alisher Usmanov, after she published [...]
UK government vows to crack down on use of ‘lawfare’ to silence ‘valid criticism’ March 17, 2022 The UK government is preparing to crack down on those using legal threats to intimidate journalists and silence the British press. Justice Secretary Dominic Raab will today set out plans to stop wealthy individuals and large businesses from “using the threat of endless legal action” to “stifle legitimate criticism”, the government said in a statement. [...]
Supreme Court ruling could lead to boom in flight refund solicitors, legal expert says March 16, 2022 The UK’s Supreme Court today said solicitors claiming refunds for delayed and cancelled flights have a right to claim any legal costs from clients. Legal experts speaking to City A.M. said the Supreme Court ruling, which allows law firms to cover their legal costs using refunded money, is likely to embolden solicitors and lead to [...]
Latham & Watkins brings in mental health counsellors to deal with employee burnout March 16, 2022 Los Angeles law firm Latham & Watkins has hired two mental health counsellors to work in its UK offices, amid mounting concerns around burnout in the legal sector. The California firm, which is one of the most profitable law firms in the world, has brought in two full time counsellors, with a view to offering [...]
Raab says barristers’ strike would be ‘totally unwarranted’ following legal aid reforms March 16, 2022 Justice secretary Dominic Raab has said it would be “totally unwarranted” for barristers to go forwards with strike action, after the Ministry of Justice said it would invest an extra £135m a year into criminal legal aid. The comments come after the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) said 94.34 per cent of criminal barristers had voted [...]
Exclusive: Most in-house lawyers are now working from the office March 15, 2022 The UK’s in-house lawyers are leading the return to the office, with almost half of Britain’s in-house lawyers now working from the office full time, according to the results of a poll shared exclusively with City A.M.. The majority of Britain’s in-house lawyers have now spend at least part of their time working in the [...]
London lawyer forged letter and ‘tipped off’ client during Serious Fraud Office probe March 15, 2022 A senior partner at London law firm Osmond & Osmond has been charged with forging a legal letter and tipping off a client over plans by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to launch an investigation under the proceeds of crime act. Sixty-seven-year-old solicitor William Osmond – who founded London law firm Osmond & Osmond in [...]
London’s largest law firm DLA Piper closes Russian offices March 15, 2022 The City of London’s biggest law firm by revenue, DLA Piper, is set to close its Moscow and St Petersburg offices, as law firms from across the globe continue to pile out of Russia. In a statement, DLA Piper said it will transfer its Russian business to the UK, in line with the “legal and [...]
Russian judge rolls back Peppa Pig copyright in retaliation against Western sanctions March 15, 2022 Peppa Pig has been dragged into the conflict between Russia and the West, after a Russian judge said Russians are free to use the children’s cartoon character in retaliation against Western sanctions. A judge in the Russian city of Kirov said Russian businesses are free to copy Peppa Pig and create their own versions of [...]
Raab vows to boost legal aid with extra investment of £135m a year March 15, 2022 The UK government has agreed to invest an extra £135m a year into criminal legal aid, in line with recommendations made by the Bellamy report, which said £135m is the minimum investment needed to ensure the UK’s criminal legal aid system continues to function effectively. In a statement, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it [...]