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London: a balanced diet

Mixed practices that have kept private client work, once seen as unfashionable, at the core of their strategy, have proved that this can be a wise long-term investment and a resilient model. Jean-Yves Gilg reports

Christmas chaos

Richmond in North Yorkshire was an oasis of calm in an otherwise full-speed month. A lawyer friend with whom I trained (now a PFI partner in a large national firm) celebrated her 40th birthday with a girls' weekend away. We stayed in funky modern log cabins, indulged in beauty treatments and walks in the crisp fresh air and ate at a gastro pub in a nearby village as the main event. Our accommodation came with an organic food and drink hamper stuffed with goodies such as fresh bread and crumbling Wensleydale, not to mention the rather delicious organic wines which are meant to give you less of a hangover if seriously indulged in because of their lack of preservatives. Maybe it's an urban myth started by organic wine producers – but we had four bottles between eight of us anyway, so I doubt that qualifies as sufficient consumption to test the theory.

Government launches review of out-of-court disposals

The government is to review the use of out-of-court disposals such as cautions and on-the-spot fines following disquiet over reports that they were being used in cases were offenders should be formally charged.

LSB confirms 2010 regulatory framework

The Legal Services Board has published its final rules on the new regulatory framework applicable to the legal sector from January 2010.

Law Society threatens legal action over fate of LCS complaints staff

The Law Society has today threatened legal action over the fate of 370 Legal Complaints Service staff, currently employed in Leamington Spa and London.

Solicitor advocates could become barristers, Bar chairman suggests

Nicholas Green QC, new chairman of the Bar Council, has shown he is prepared to think the unthinkable by suggesting that solicitor advocates could in the future be regulated as barristers.

Commission's "cost-cutting" VHCC scheme angers barristers and solicitors

lawyers have reacted angrily to an announcement from the LSC that one option for 'very high cost' criminal cases would be to extend the limits for the standard graduated fee scheme from cases lasting 40 days to 60 days.

High Court judge loses temper as councils battle to avoid paying for sick boy

Mr Justice Hedley has described how the behaviour of two warring local authorities determined to avoid responsibility for a sick boy forced him to adjourn a hearing because he no longer trusted himself to express himself in a “temperate manner”.