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Texas hold’em

06 February 2015 / Roger Smith
Issue: 7639 / Categories: Opinion , Human rights
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Roger Smith reports on a busy start to 2015

The Legal Services Corporation (the federal US legal aid funder) held its 15th annual Technology Initiatives Grant conference in San Antonio this year. The town is best known for the Alamo; the death of Davy Crockett (whose most memorable quote is celebrated on widely available fridge magnets—“You can all go to hell, I am going to Texas”); and as a tourist destination. During the cheap season in January, 290 techies and interested managers turned up to discuss the latest advances in the use of technology in delivering legal services to the poor. To their great credit, the organisers began with an international session—dominated by the two jurisdictions most at the cutting edge of developments—the Netherlands and British Columbia. Thus, there was a presentation of the impressive latest version (2.0) of the Dutch Rechtwijzer project and British Columbia’s online end to end, advice to resolution programme—the civil resolution tribunal—both of which are due to go fully live this year.

The core of the conference was provided by presentations

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Freeths—Ruth Clare

Freeths—Ruth Clare

National real estate team bolstered by partner hire in Manchester

Farrer & Co—Claire Gordon

Farrer & Co—Claire Gordon

Partner appointed head of family team

mfg Solicitors—Neil Harrison

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Firm strengthens agriculture and rural affairs team with partner return

NEWS
Conveyancing lawyers have enjoyed a rapid win after campaigning against UK Finance’s decision to charge for access to the Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has launched a recruitment drive for talented early career and more senior barristers and solicitors
Regulators differed in the clarity and consistency of their post-Mazur advice and guidance, according to an interim report by the Legal Services Board (LSB)
The Solicitors Act 1974 may still underpin legal regulation, but its age is increasingly showing. Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Morrison-Hughes of the Association of Costs Lawyers argues that the Act is ‘out of step with modern consumer law’ and actively deters fairness
A Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) ruling has reopened debate on the availability of ‘user damages’ in competition claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Edward Nyman of Hausfeld explains how the CAT allowed Dr Liza Lovdahl Gormsen’s alternative damages case against Meta to proceed, rejecting arguments that such damages are barred in competition law
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