Supreme court ruling hailed as gamechanger by Race4Justice, which says professionals in many fields will now get full protection of equality legislation...
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Black former Met officer wins right to sue for discrimination
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The lawyer and the rule against advertising
A few years ago, I had the privilege of being a part of an international conference in Accra. At one of the group sessions, the issue of lawyer advertising came up. I argued forcefully against the current rules that prohibit advertising and described them as colonial relics that have become shorn of their relevance. The other participants applauded me “to the very echo”. The then President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), who chaired the session, disagreed with me. Those rules together with a few other undesirable ones continue to sit pretty on our statute books. England The practice of law in England with its Greco-Roman influences, rules, conventions and practices dates as far back as...
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Michael Fallon accused of influencing prosecution of law firm
The defence secretary, Michael Fallon, may have pressurised an independent legal regulator to prosecute the law firm Leigh Day over its role in allegations – later abandoned – of torture and murder of Iraqi detainees, a tribunal has been told....
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Ex-solicitor jailed for stealing €275,000 from clients
A former solicitor has been jailed for two years for stealing over €275,000 from a number of his clients over a four year period to fund a number of pubs that he was operating at the time. Mark Cronin with an address at New Street, Macroom pleaded guilty to six counts of theft and two counts of forgery on various dates between July 1st 2009 and December 15th 2013. Cronin (40) was sentenced to four years in jail with the final two years suspended when he appeared today before Judge Sean O Donnabhain at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. Det Garda Tom O’Sullivan said the thefts started came to light in February 2012 when a couple made a complaint to gardai about Cronin who represented them in a...
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The lawyer and the rule against advertising by Robert Nii Arday Clegg
A few years ago, I had the privilege of being a part of an international conference in Accra. At one of the group sessions, the issue of lawyer advertising came up. I argued forcefully against the current rules that prohibit advertising and described them as colonial relics that have become shorn of their relevance. The other participants applauded me “to the very echo”. The then President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), who chaired the session, disagreed with me. Those rules together with a few other undesirable ones continue to sit pretty on our statute books. England The practice of law in England with its Greco-Roman influences, rules, conventions and practices dates as...
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Jail term for man who posed as a solicitor to fleece clients of £18k
A university law graduate who fraudulently posed as a solicitor and then swindled £18,500 from five clients has been jailed for 16 months at the Crown Court in Londonderry. Kieran Healey (37) from Great James Street in the city, used the money to feed his gambling, drugs and alcohol addictions. Share Go To At one stage he gambled £500 each day on poker machines and also drank two bottles of vodka daily. He pleaded guilty to five charges of...
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Tánaiste welcomes Oireachtas approval of nominations for membership and Chair of the new Legal Services Regulatory Authority (Department of Justice and Equality of Ireland)
(Source: Department of Justice and Equality of Ireland) · Vital steps taken in bringing new Legal Services Regulatory Authority into operation. · 11 people approved this week for membership as required by a motion of both Houses. Dr. Don Thornhill to be Chairperson. · Parts 1 and 2 of the Legal Services Regulation Act, as necessary to support the start-up, have also been commenced by the Tánaiste this week. · 1 October 2016 is to be establishment day of the new Authority. 21 July 2016 The Tánaiste has welcomed this week's passing, by both Houses of the Oireachtas, of motions approving the Government's nominees for membership of the new Legal Services Regulatory Authority. She also welcomed...
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Solicitor with ‘very bad record’ must work under supervision
A solicitor with a “very bad record” of professional misconduct has failed in his High Court bid to overturn a decision he can only practise under supervision of another solicitor. John Condon, a solicitor for the last 35 years and principal of McMahon and Tweedy, Merchant’s Quay, Dublin, challenged a Law Society committee’s requirement that his practising certificate for 2016 would only be issued on the basis of him being supervised by a lawyer of 10 years standing. He claimed he did not require supervision at all and was given no opportunity to...
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Proposed Handbook changes will have major implications for the solicitor profession and its clients says the Law Society (The Law Society)
(Source: The Law Society) The Solicitors Regulation Authority's (SRA) proposals for changes to their Handbook for solicitor and firm regulation, if accepted, will leave clients with less protection and could result in a two-tier solicitor profession, the Law Society of England and Wales said today. Chief executive Catherine Dixon said: 'The SRA proposals will enable solicitors to work for unregulated entities providing unreserved legal activities to the public. This has serious implications for client protection, legal professional privilege, professional supervision, competition and the standing of the...
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Injury claims 'clustered' around certain towns and solicitors - warning
A small number of legal firms are responsible for a huge number of personal injuries actions, the Law Society has been warned. There are fears that an unusually high number of spurious claims are clustered around a small number of towns, where certain legal firms are based. The fear is that these firms are "harvesting" claims, which is against the rules. Barristers and solicitors face stringent advertising regulations aimed at preventing claims harvesting, which is sometimes called ambulance-chasing. Minister of State at the Department of Finance Eoghan Murphy has...
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Solicitors' practising certificate fee 9 per cent cut proposed this year - down 24 per cent since 2014 (The Law Society)
(Source: The Law Society) Solicitors could pay £30 less for their practising certificate (PC) fee this year. The Law Society of England and Wales and the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) today launched a consultation (PDF 407kb) proposing an individual rate of £290 per solicitor for 2016-17. The Law Society and the SRA have been working hard to manage the costs of their work to the profession. The Legal Services Board (LSB) and the Legal Ombudsman also expect to ask for less. The proposed reduction in the PC fee is 9 per cent this year....
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Case of former solicitor who stole from clients to be re-heard
The case of a former solicitor who stole €260,000 from her clients is to be re-heard after the sentencing judge realised that a member of her wider family knows a relative of the accused. Jacqueline Durcan (47) previously from Co Mayo but with an address in Rue Laubespin, Brussels, Belgium, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to one count of stealing €260,000 between February 21st, 2008 and January 27th, 2011. At an earlier sentence hearing this month Judge Melanie Greally heard that Durcan, a...
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Barrister fails in bid to represent clients without using a solicitor
The High Court dismissed a barrister's application to be allowed to represent clients without having to be instructed by a solicitor. Eugenie...
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Minister Fitzgerald welcomes the completion of passage of the Legal Services Regulation Bill (Department of ...
(Source: Department of Justice and Equality of Ireland) 15 December 2015 The Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald TD has welcomed the completion of all stages the Legal Services Regulation Bill in the Oireachtas. Following its passage by the Houses the bill will be sent to the President for his signature in accordance with the Constitution. Minister Fitzgerald stated: 'The Government committed to completing the passage of the Bill by the end of this year. This has now been achieved and I look forward to the new Legal Services Regulatory Authority coming into operation early in 2016.' The Bill delivers on the Programme for Government commitment to 'Establish independent...
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Former Mayo solicitor who stole from clients jailed for a year
A former solicitor who stole €260,000 from her clients over a three year period has been jailed for a year. Jacqueline Durcan (47), a mother-of-five originally from Co Mayo, carried out the thefts after a series of “catastrophic” investments during the property boom. Most of the money stolen was put back into the family practice, including paying for professional indemnity insurance. €51,000 was used towards stamp duty for the purchase of her own home, the court heard. Durcan broke down in tears when the prison sentence was...
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Appointment of five Commissioners to the Criminal Cases Review Commission
The Commission's role is to investigate and review cases where it is alleged that a miscarriage of justice may have occurred in relation to conviction, sentence or both. The Commission was the first statutory body in the world created to investigate possible miscarriages of justice and, where appropriate, to refer cases back to the appeal courts. Five new Commissioners have been appointed for a term of 5 years starting in September 2017. The new Commissioners: Rachel Ellis Ms Ellis is currently an Ombudsman with the Financial Ombudsman Service working within the jurisdiction division of the Service. She has worked in a number of areas within the Service and has been involved in training...
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‘Gambling’ Mallow solicitor struck off
A Mallow-based solicitor was struck off the roll of solicitors by the President of the High Court, Mr Justice Peter Kelly, this week. Barry Murphy, a sole practitioner practising as Eugene Carey &...
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Sydney solicitor struck off for 'borrowing' clients' money
A Sydney solicitor who kept "deplorable" financial records and secretly borrowed clients' money to pay off other client debts has been struck off the roll of lawyers. Albert-Edris Truong of...
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Canberra lawyer disbarred for professional misconduct
A Canberra lawyer has been banned from practising law after a court found he had misused money he held in trust for clients. The ACT Supreme Court earlier this month ordered Mark Andrew Slater's name be removed from the roll of...
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'Harry Potter' lawyer 'failed to keep client records'
A lawyer criticised for dressing "like something out of Harry Potter" did not keep proper records because they were a waste of paper, a tribunal has heard. Alan Blacker angered a judge at Cardiff Crown Court in 2014 by appearing with medals and ceremonial ribbons on his gown. He is also accused of claiming to have qualifications that do not exist. Mr Blacker disputes all the misconduct claims he faces at a...
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