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Month: July 2010 Legal Blogs & News

Justitia (via Haha UK)

PQE: Post Qualification Equality?

I have written a 1400 word professional briefing article for the Journal: the members’ magazine of the Law Society of Scotland, the Online version of which is updated almost daily and the RSS feed of which is followed at the foot of this blawG on one of the four sets of columns, navigable through the left and right arrows below. My article should, hopefully, be published in August this year.

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The Frapes of Wrath: High Court fines £10,000 for Facebook Libel

Mr Justice Tugendhat ruled that the allegation of paedophilia was serious and could have damaged the plaintiff’s reputation. Now, I don’t know whether Mr Justice Tugendhat has a profile on Facebook or has any idea about social networking sites, but he should be aware, or have been made aware by the defence, that this type of abuse goes on more than he might imagine, albeit not quite as acerbic, indecent and tasteless as in this case. To be clear, the author does not support this sort of bullying in the slightest.

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RSSatisfaction-in: A little more conversation

As the WardblawG surpasses the 5000 hit mark after only 3 weeks, I have now included two permanent RSS feeds at either side of this blog to “Scots Law” and “Scottish Law” through Google News, which highlight excerpts from quality articles discussing the most recent developments in Scots law, such as through the Scotsman’s or the Herald’s legal journalists.

Similar Google News feeds, as I have already mentioned , can be used to keep track of different clients, industries, technologies, law, and even matters or disputes: A little more action, a little less bark (from clients) and a lot more spark!

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Reclaiming Bank Charges in the Tenties: Santander Demolishes Walls

Comment

In the author’s personal opinion, it is time for the courts and, perhaps, government to stop sitting on the fence with legal argument that lends itself to squeaky clean judges’ desks. It is quite clear that the public has noted its concern. They realise, (or at least should realise by now!), that banks are businesses unlike any other. And, while the banks might enjoy the benefits of having large capital reserves, somewhat questionable following the recession, the Scottish and, indeed, the British public expect them to be treated as such in the legal systems of the UK. This effective immunity from suit should seriously be reconsidered and, the author hopes, soon.

How to Claim despite Walls being breached

Consumers may be best advised to take the recent shock wave of Allison Walls v Santander with a pinch of salt: there are certain steps, including those from moneysavingexpert.com, which are still worth considering:-

1. Send a style letter and send to the bank;
2. If unsuccessful and the bank continues to charge, send a different style letter to the Financial Ombudsman;
3. If still unsuccessful, consult a reputable solicitor and take the bank to court, but be prepared for considerable legal expenses and long, drawn out proceedings.

Banks would be best advised not to get complacent: a battle may have been won; but the war, most certainly, is not over.

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Plea to the Relevancy: Alternative Scottish Diploma in Legal Practice Structures

I think many solicitors and students would like to see at least also business management, communication, leadership and motivation, or at least such soft skills, taught either separately on the diploma or the PCC, or more emphatically through the practice management course within the Diploma.

There should be a fundamental distinction between brilliant lawyering and brilliant management, which should be appreciated by all Diploma students and graduates.

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RSS Feeds: the Practical and Legal Considerations

Since starting this blog, I’ve placed emphasis on RSS feeds. Colleagues and readers have been quizzing me on why a legal blog needs RSS feeds and why I don’t spend more time on posts. The reason is that RSS feeds are important tools for modern lawyers and, indeed, professionals around the world. Because of that, I thought it would be useful to set out the practical and legal issues that should be noted and distinguished in order to exploit RSS to its fullest.

In my own experience, RSS feeds avoid the spam-like nature of email updates and allow for fast browsing of updates that suits you, which can help increase your efficiency, productivity, learning and knowledge. Obviously, that demands some initiative on your part, but if you can appreciate how much effort went into each and every post to which the RSS feed links, then it doesn’t take too much effort to get out there and start looking for RSS feeds relevant to you and your clients, such that you can build a collection, much like I have at the foot of this page, for your own personal and commercial purposes.

Alternatively, of course, you could just come to this site to view them all at once. But where’s the fun, (or plug?) in that?

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