Thursday 26 April 2012

A boutique litigation firm has announced it will launch two offices in the US. Stewarts Law, which operates in Leeds and London, will open sites in New York and Delaware and focus on securities litigation, antitrust and commercial litigation.

Legal aid awards

The deadline for nominations for the 10th Legal Aid Practitioners Group Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards closes tomorrow (27 April). The awards ceremony will take place in London on 12 June.

Design law update

City firm Speechly Bircham, with Mountainview Learning and the University of London, has been commissioned by the Intellectual Property Office and the Design Council to look at the effectiveness of design law in the UK.

The research includes an online questionnaire.

Practice note on LIPs

The Law Society has issued a practice note on dealing with litigants in person.

It includes advice on managing any conflict between duties to the court and clients. It can be found at tinyurl.com/c77nsgt.

At your service

The Law Society and Solicitors Regulation Authority have jointly appointed Alan Vallance to the new role of director of organisational services, with responsibility for finance, HR, IT and facilities. Vallance joins from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.