Monthly Archive for March, 2007

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Age Bar

By NL on 22/03/2007. 0 Comments

I read Lawyer-2-be’s comments on diversity and age in relation to entry to the Bar with interest. As regular visitors will know, the problems of mature entrants to the legal profession is something of a (self-interested) hobbyhorse of mine.

Pleasing though it is to see Lawyer-2-be’s report of a wide age range on the BVC, I am not wholly convinced that the feeling that relative age is a hindrance reported by fellow students is wholly (or at all) attributable to a lack of representation in brochures. Having said that, age is most certainly a blind spot, to put it kindly. For example, may I refer my friend to ‘the … Read the full post

Posted in Various (non-housing). Tags: , .

Legal Aid. It's all kicking off…

By NL on 22/03/2007. 0 Comments

In the face of the 30 March deadline for signing the new unified contract, today the opposition got serious.

The Law Society instigated Judicial review proceedings. The Pre-Action protocol letter can be read here (pdf). Bloody well done.What Price Justice

The mutterings amongst many firms that a mass refusal to sign the contracts was in order went public with Bindman’s dramatic announcement that they are not signing

[edit 2/4/07 Bindmans have replaced the page with one about why they signed the contract. I consider this to be more than a little dishonest].

As the LSC has stated that no new work can be taken on after 30 March if the contracts are … Read the full post

Posted in Various (non-housing). Tags: .

That was the week that might be…

By NL on 20/03/2007. 0 Comments

As we await the Law Society’s decision on whether to challenge the new legal aid contracts – apparently due this week, as it must be, given that the contracts have to be signed by 30 March – there are interesting mutterings that some civil legal aid sectors at least might be considering following their criminal brethren into, umm,What Price Justice disobedience/refusal of a sort.

I’m not wholly convinced this will happen, not least because the civil sector is a lot less organised and cohesive than the criminal one, but also because the short term financial risk is more than many small and not so small firms could bear, but it is a … Read the full post

Posted in Various (non-housing). Tags: , .

A brave decision, Minister

By NL on 19/03/2007. 0 Comments

So far it is a bit short of stone throwing confrontations with riot police, but the current actions of our friends in publicly funded legal aid criminal defence are pretty much unprecendented, at least for lawyers. I hope the demo went well.

“What do we want? A reasonable level of public funding for access to justice. When do we want it? As soon as practicable and sustainable arrangements can be put in place that are agreeable to all parties”.

I’m still not sure how self-employed professionals work to rule, but I wish them luck with that too.What Price Justice

Above all, I hope the Law Society has the bottle to challenge the … Read the full post

Posted in Various (non-housing). Tags: .

Obvious filler 4

By NL on 18/03/2007. 0 Comments

There is plenty of material that I ought to be writing about, but I’m going to have to pull a Pupilblogger, because I can’t talk about it now.

So, in the place of anything substantial, interesting or even legal, it is time once more to gaze in awe and bewilderment at search terms that brought people to this blog.

May I first say how proud I am that this blog is at the top of google’s second page of results for ‘Sally Field Naked’. A recent surge in people apparently wanting to inspect Ms Field for birthmarks has made this the 5th most common search term bringing people here … Read the full post

Posted in Various (non-housing). Tags: .

Lessons from Lahore?

By NL on 15/03/2007. 0 Comments

With all due respect to the striking legal aid Criminal solicitors and the Law Society, this is an impressive bunch of protesting lawyers. A reminder that the struggle between the rule of law and rule by decree is sometimes literally that.

I do find myself wondering if these are the scenes we’d see on Fleet Street, should Blair (or later Brown or Little Lord Fauntleroy) attempt to rid himself of the turbulent Lord Phillips (or, more furtively, shift executive discretion out of the purview of the Courts). Perhaps street protest, barricade building and countering baton charges should be a compulsory on the LPC. But tear gas plays havoc with the … Read the full post

Posted in Various (non-housing). Tags: , .

Postponed assured trespassers verdict soon(ish).

By NL on 13/03/2007. 0 Comments

Table of contents for Tolerated Trespassers

  1. Tolerated Trespassers – the aftermath
  2. Tolerated trespassers: A Luta Continua
  3. Postponing Possession. Are you now and have you always been a tenant?
  4. Assured trespassers?
  5. Assured tenant or trespasser? The waiting begins.
  6. Postponed assured trespassers verdict soon(ish).
  7. Permanent trespassers and enforceable possession orders.
  8. More on London & Quadrant v Ansell
  9. White v Knowsley – Court of Appeal Judgment
  10. Reincarnation of Tenancy?
  11. S.85 Application Randomness
  12. Permanent trespassers – a fan letter
  13. Payne-less
  14. Post mortem revival of tenancy
  15. When does enforceability end?

Knowsley Housing Trust v White on suspended possession orders and assured tenants is being heard on 14 March 2007 in the Court of Appeal. I … Read the full post

Posted in assured-tenancy, Housing law - All, secure-tenancy and Tolerated trespasser. Tags: , , .
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