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09 April 2009
Issue: 7364 / Categories: Opinion
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Ask Auntie

Back Page Agony Column

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This Week's Top Question

So much personal injury work now settles before counsel is brought in that chaps like me in my chambers are getting to court to advocate less and less. The last thing we want to be forced to do is don the double breasted and a crisp white shirt to get them soiled in some filthy cell or magistrates' court or receive tuppence for taking on ancillary reliefs where the respondent's assets these days amount to minus not less than 20 grand. Do you have any ideas, Auntie?

Roland Cressfall, Tibia Annex, Bath

I wonder whether the process of quantitative easing which is favoured as a means of kick-starting the economy by the printing of a heavy volume of banknotes could be imitated in this unfortunate situation. A number of road traffic and industrial accidents might be staged as a means of creating claims and thereby increase the prospect of work for members of the Bar. The devil would be in the detail but perhaps

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Haynes Boone—Jeremy Cross

Haynes Boone—Jeremy Cross

Firm strengthens global fund finance practice with London partner hire.

DWF—Stephen Webb

DWF—Stephen Webb

Partner and head of national planning team appointed

mfg Solicitors—Nick Little

mfg Solicitors—Nick Little

Corporate team expands in Birmingham with partner hire

NEWS
Contract damages are usually assessed at the date of breach—but not always. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Gascoigne, knowledge lawyer at LexisNexis, examines the growing body of cases where courts have allowed later events to reshape compensation
The Supreme Court has restored ‘doctrinal coherence’ to unfair prejudice litigation, writes Natalie Quinlivan, partner at Fieldfisher LLP, in this week' NLJ
The High Court’s refusal to recognise a prolific sperm donor as a child’s legal parent has highlighted the risks of informal conception arrangements, according to Liam Hurren, associate at Kingsley Napley, in NLJ this week
The Court of Appeal’s decision in Mazur may have settled questions around litigation supervision, but the profession should not simply ‘move on’, argues Jennifer Coupland, CEO of CILEX, in this week's NLJ
A simple phrase like ‘subject to references’ may not protect employers as much as they think. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, analyses recent employment cases showing how conditional job offers can still create binding contracts
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