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13 December 2007
Issue: 7301 / Categories: Legal News , Procedure & practice , Profession
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SOLICITORS RUN WILD

In brief

Consumers think solicitors are under-regulated and they do not know where to turn when things go wrong, according to new research. The study on consumer attitudes by the Solicitors Regulation Authority found the main sources of complaints from consumers involved communication, cost and delays. Consumers feel alienated by the use of jargon, are confused by the volume of paper thrown at them by solicitors, and hate not being kept up-to-date on progress. Fee levels are too high, they believe, and there is a feeling that solicitors had incentives to delay cases unnecessarily.

Issue: 7301 / Categories: Legal News , Procedure & practice , Profession
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Thackray Williams—Lucy Zhu

Thackray Williams—Lucy Zhu

Dual-qualified partner joins as head of commercial property department

Morgan Lewis—David A. McManus

Morgan Lewis—David A. McManus

Firm announces appointment of next chair

Burges Salmon—Rebecca Wilsker

Burges Salmon—Rebecca Wilsker

Director joins corporate team from the US

NEWS
What safeguards apply when trust corporations are appointed as deputy by the Court of Protection? 
Disputing parties are expected to take part in alternative dispute resolution (ADR), where this is suitable for their case. At what point, however, does refusing to participate cross the threshold of ‘unreasonable’ and attract adverse costs consequences?
When it comes to free legal advice, demand massively outweighs supply. 'Millions of people are excluded from access to justice as they don’t have anywhere to turn for free advice—or don’t know that they can ask for help,' Bhavini Bhatt, development director at the Access to Justice Foundation, writes in this week's NLJ
When an ex-couple is deciding who gets what in the divorce or civil partnership dissolution, when is it appropriate for a third party to intervene? David Burrows, NLJ columnist and solicitor advocate, considers this thorny issue in this week’s NLJ
NLJ's latest Charities Appeals Supplement has been published in this week’s issue
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