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02 March 2012 / Deborah Evans
Issue: 7503 / Categories: Opinion , Legal services
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Proceed with care

Deborah Evans warns against too much change, too soon

Too much change, too quickly, is dangerous. While there are many areas the government would like to reform, it is not necessary or sensible to do it all within the same year. The government should be urged to proceed with care, understanding the impact of each change before imposing the next, and asking itself regularly whether further change is necessary.

As well as the sweeping reforms of conditional fee agreements (CFAs) in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Bill, and the removal of legal aid for clinical negligence, personal injury lawyers face the impact of the introduction of alternative business structures (ABSs), the ban on referral fees, review of fixed fees, destruction of the after-the-event insurance market, and just to top it off nicely an extension of the road traffic accident (RTA) portal coupled with a couple of new portals to help control David Cameron’s perceived health and safety “monster”.

Referral fee ban unworkable?

ABSs (such as the Co-op) will

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

From mowing lawns to life at the Bar: Stephen Ward reflects on an unconventional career

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

Commercial property partner joins Clarke Willmott in Southampton

Ellisons—Robert Tiffen

Ellisons—Robert Tiffen

Robert Tiffen joins Ellisons as Partner in growing Norwich office

NEWS
The Law Society RFC Festival of Sport returns next month, bringing together legal and financial services professionals for one of the sector’s largest annual sporting events
Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners

Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.

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