Archive

Preparing for any contingency

Contingency fees have the potential to deliver proportionate costs, access to justice and new business opportunities, says Fraser Whitehead

Cracking down on disruption

Premises closure orders are a powerful new weapon for local authorities in the battle against anti-social behaviour, say Kelvin Rutledge and Kuljit Bhogal

'Tis folly

Solicitors who fail to make adequate enquiries before committing themselves to undertakings or who delay in performing them, run the risk of serious legal and financial consequences, says Ryan Clement

Update: residential property

Janet Armstrong-Fox and Lara Nyman review recent cases relating to the definition of service charge, restrictive covenants, interference with view and time limitation on charging orders

One for all

The new generic pre-action practice direction will focus attention on compliance while reducing the need for further protocols, says DJ Robert Jordan

Update: personal tax and trusts

David Bird considers recent cases on business property tax relief, shares as consideration for a loan and residence issues, and the changes to HMRC interest rates

To whom do you refer?

Ineffective regulation discourages solicitors from entering into legitimate referral agreements while largely ignoring consumers' interests, says Craig Jones

West Midlands

Mid-weight firms are feeling the strain but are confident a focused and more innovative approach to client relations will get them through the downturn. Jean-Yves Gilg reports