So that's that, then. The Law Society takes advice on a last minute injunction to halt the process, but is advised against it. Partners' arms are twisted. Deadline passes, contracts are signed or not. So we'll stagger, somewhat shellshocked, into...
All the blog posts, most recent first
On the brink
Tomorrow, 30 March, is the deadline for signing the Unified Contract, even though the contract itself is actually unfinished. Yesterday, the LSC attempted to turn the screws by sending a letter (PDF) to suppliers which effectively accused the Law...
Conversation -v- Contract
I knew I was tempting fate. I made a comment yesterday on Pupilblogger's post on litigants-in-person. Today came the swift nemesis to my hubris. A day full of new enquries fom what turned out to be l-i-ps. Not that they tell you that at first. Oh...
Ah! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira
Le LSC a la Lanterne (or DCA, or both) continued. Item 1. Fiona Woolf talks sense. Let the heavens shake. It is almost enough to make me apologise for this. Item 2. Other civil firms going public on not signing include: Fisher Meredith and David...
More than reasonable?
Ken Adams of adamsdrafting.com emailed me the other day. I've enjoyed dipping into his site, even though my area has nothing to do with contract drafting and a relatively small amount of contractual interpretation. I like the overlaying of...
More Contract refuseniks?
My, but the emails have been flying around today in the wake of Bindman's public announcement, including Round Robins and emails with lists, admittedly of varying accuracy, of which firms are refusing to sign. Some firms are definitely not signing,...
Age Bar
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....
Legal Aid. It's all kicking off…
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. The...
That was the week that might be…
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...
A brave decision, Minister
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...
Obvious filler 4
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...
Lessons from Lahore?
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...