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UK Justice Ministry eyes conditional fee arrangements; royal nuptials disrupt Bar plans; Simmons
The UK Ministry of Justice to examine conditional fee arrangements, the pending royal nuptials wreak havoc with bar plans in the UK, and more alternative business structures from abroad, in this…
Lawyers Weekly
The UK Ministry of Justice to examine conditional fee arrangements, the pending royal nuptials wreak havoc with bar plans in the UK, and more alternative business structures from abroad, in this week's wrap of global legal news.
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MoJ remodels CFAs
The UK's Ministry of Justice is set to give 'no win, no fee' conditional fee arrangements (CFAs) a makeover in an attempt to reduce inflated payouts to lawyers and stop unnecessary litigation making it to court, reports Legal Week. The new measures will see the abolition of the so-called success fees and associated costs in CFAs, with claimants having to pay their lawyers' success fees instead.
Royal wedding hampers Bar plans
The imminent Royal Wedding between William and Kate has derailed attempts to make scholarship offers to would-be barristers until after the date on which they must accept their places on the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), reports The Lawyer. The unscheduled bank holiday on the Big Day means many BPTC students will have to accept places without confirmation of financial assistance.
Co-op to branch out
A UK company known as The Co-operative will soon begin to offer legal advice to members of the public from its extensive network of bank branches, reports Legal Week. The decision comes as it considers converting to an Alternative Business Structure (ABS) later in the year, in a move that would make it the first retailer to do so. The company is looking to form a one-stop shop for financial and legal services when the Legal Services Act (LSA) commences in October.
Spanish firm promotes ten
Spain's second-largest firm, Cuatrecasas Gonçalves Pereira, has elevated 10 lawyers from its Spanish and Portuguese offices to partnership, reports The Lawyer. The Barcelona office has gained three new partners: finance specialists Iñigo Aguirrezabala and Manuel Follía, and litigator Juan Antonio Ruiz. In Madrid, litigators Pedro Campaña, Esther de Félix and Olga García, as well as corporate lawyer José Luis Rodríguez, join the partnership.
Six partners fight it out at Simmons
UK firm Simmons & Simmons has ended up with six partners competing for the role of senior partner as the firm looks to elect the current senior partner's successor next month, reports The Lawyer. The candidates' papers were distributed recently to firm partners, with current managing partner Mark Dawkins competing against litigation partners Colin Passmore and Philip Vaughan, corporate partners Charles Mayo and Thierry Gontard and energy partner Patrick Wallace.
