Thursday 29 March 2012

Government plans for relaxing Sunday trading rules during the Olympic and Paralympic games could lead to employers facing constructive dismissal claims, lawyers have warned. Law Society employment law committee member Sundeep Bhatia stressed that the terms of an employment contract could not be varied unilaterally.

Costs intervention
The Law Society will seek to intervene if Buckinghamshire firm SVS is given permission to appeal a decision to uphold a £3,000 wasted costs order against it. The Society said the case 'raises difficult questions for solicitors about where the balance lies between [a solicitor's] duty to their client and to the court'.

Assisted dying debate
Campaigner Debbie Purdy will be among the speakers at a public debate on assisted dying to be hosted by the Law Society at 6.30pm on 3 April. The first Law Society Public Debate of the year will be chaired by Lucy Scott-Moncrieff, Society vice president.

No-fault divorce plea
The 'time has come' for no-fault divorce, the president of the Family Division Sir Nicholas Wall said last weekend. Wall said divorce was an administrative process and that while he is a 'strong believer in marriage', he could see 'no good arguments against no-fault divorce'.

Fraser dies at 78
A former senior partner of Woolwich, London firm HE Thomas & Co, O Bernard Fraser, has died aged 78. Fraser was a past chairman of the Law Society's Legal Aid Appeals Committee.

Tribunal cannot hear
The East London employment tribunal has written to lawyers to say it has exhausted its budget allocation for this financial year and so no 'judicial resource' is available to hear cases.

Former partner guilty
Former Hogan Lovells partner Christopher Grierson has pleaded guilty to four charges under the Theft Act covering 57 travel claims against his firm worth £1.2m. Grierson, who has repaid the money in full, appeared at Southwark Crown Court to plead on Tuesday. He will be sentenced on 3 May.

Welcome advice
Demand for legal advice has increased as businesses look to reduce risk and change their contractual obligations, according to a survey by consultancy KPMG. Almost half of the legal partners at the world's top 30 international law firms reported an increased demand for outsourcing services in the past year: 7% said demand had fallen.

Capital windfall
Litigation funder Argentum Capital has targeted investment in smaller commercial cases following a stock market listing. The Jersey-based business raised £5.5m through listing on the Channel Island Stock Exchange, offering investor income through a portfolio of claims and disputes in the UK and Australia.