Barrister numbers plummeted during Covid-19 as earnings dropped 23 per cent April 11, 2022 The Bar Council has said urgent investment is needed to “keep the criminal justice system afloat” after publishing new data showing barristers suffered heavily during Covid-19. The total number of barristers working in full-time publicly funded positions dropped by more than 10 per cent from 2,670 in 2019-20 to 2,400 in 2020-21, the Bar Council [...]
Lawyers struggle to get government permission to let sanctioned Russians pay legal fees April 11, 2022 LAWYERS working for sanctioned oligarchs are floundering in their efforts to get paid for their work, due to struggles in obtaining permission from the UK government to let their sanctioned clients pay. The UK government has received 15 separate applications for permission to temporarily lift sanctions so that sanctioned Russian clients are able to pay their [...]
Mishcon de Reya strikes deal with UCL to fund research into Artificial Intelligence (AI) April 11, 2022 London law firm Mishcon de Reya has struck a deal with UCL to fund research into use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal sector. Mishcon’s decision to fund research into AI comes as the firm now believes AI technology will revolutionise the legal sector and transform the ways that lawyers work. In striking a [...]
Tory backbencher calls on government to close ‘loopholes’ letting London firms work for the Kremlin April 11, 2022 Tory backbencher Kevin Hollinrake has called on the government to close the “loopholes” that have allowed UK professional services firms to continue carrying out bankruptcy proceedings on behalf of the Russian state. In a letter to Rishi Sunak, the Conservative party MP accused accountancy giant Grant Thornton, litigation funder Harbour, and London law firm CMS [...]
Shares in Asia focused companies dip as Chinese inflation soars April 11, 2022 Shares in London listed companies with Asia focused businesses dropped today after Chinese government data showed outbreaks of Covid and the war in Ukraine had caused inflation in China to soar. The dips come after figures from China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed factory gate prices are up 8.3 per cent compared to [...]
London lawyers expect boom in legal disputes on the back of Brexit and Covid-19 April 11, 2022 London litigators are readying themselves for a new wave of litigation lawsuits on the back of Brexit and Covid-19. In a survey carried out by the London Solicitors Litigation Association (LSLA), 84 per cent of lawyers polled said they expect a surge in the number of Covid related contractual disputes. Another 70 per cent of [...]
Law Society hits out at government as barristers prepare to strike April 10, 2022 The Law Society has hit out at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) after claiming the government’s £135m a year legal aid investments will not be enough to fix the “crisis in the criminal defence profession.” The comments come as barristers are set to go on strike from tomorrow onwards, after the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) [...]
1MDB: Ex-Goldman Sachs banker found guilty for role in world’s biggest financial scandal April 10, 2022 Former Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng faces up to 30 years in prison after being found guilty on two separate counts of bribery and money laundering for his role in the multi-billion-dollar 1MBD scandal. A New York jury convicted Ng on two separate charges of conspiracy, after finding the banker guilty of taking part in [...]
Italian lottery operator Sisal mulls joining Camelot’s High Court challenge April 10, 2022 Italian lottery operator Sisal is considering teaming up with Camelot to challenge the Gambling Commission’s decision to pick Czech firm Allwyn to run the UK’s National Lottery. Sisal is weighing up plans to back Camelot’s High Court bid to overturn the Gambling Commission’s decision, after Camelot lodged a legal challenge against the government agency earlier [...]
Government weighs up plans to float Channel 4 on the stock market April 10, 2022 Culture secretary Nadine Dorries is considering plans to list Channel 4 on the stock market as an alternative to selling it to a rival broadcaster. Officials in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) are working with JP Morgan on plans to float the TV network in London, after Dorries set out plans [...]
