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Record ULS referrals
A record number of offenders were referred to the Attorney General’s Office last year, according to statistics released on unduly lenient sentences (ULS) referred to the Court of Appeal. In 2012, 435 sentences were referred as possibly unduly lenient, compared to 377 in 2011 and 342 in 2010. Of the 435 referrals, 344 were eligible for consideration. Eighty eight offenders were referred to the Court of Appeal and 82 cases heard in court. Permission was granted in 73 cases and 62 offenders saw their sentence increase.
Trust me, I’m a lawyer?
The public is less trusting of lawyers, less confident that their consumer rights will be protected and less confident to complain than they were a year ago – according to research by the Legal Services Consumer Panel. Its latest tracker survey, carried out by YouGov, showed 42% of the general public would generally trust lawyers to tell the truth; compared to 43% in 2012 and 47% in 2011. Public confidence has fallen at a similar rate across other professions, such as doctors and accountants, but contrasts with a slight increase in trust for estate agents, builders and car mechanics over the last three years. Although the survey found that women were more likely to trust lawyers than men, trust among women had fallen from 47% to 43% during the past 12 months; whereas trust among men was static.
Trust me, I’m a lawyer?
The public is less trusting of lawyers, less confident that their consumer rights will be protected and less confident to complain than they were a year ago – according to research by the Legal Services Consumer Panel. Its latest tracker survey, carried out by YouGov, showed 42% of the general public would generally trust lawyers to tell the truth; compared to 43% in 2012 and 47% in 2011. Public confidence has fallen at a similar rate across other professions, such as doctors and accountants, but contrasts with a slight increase in trust for estate agents, builders and car mechanics over the last three years. Although the survey found that women were more likely to trust lawyers than men, trust among women had fallen from 47% to 43% during the past 12 months; whereas trust among men was static.
Record ULS referrals
A record number of offenders were referred to the Attorney General’s Office last year, according to statistics released on unduly lenient sentences (ULS) referred to the Court of Appeal. In 2012, 435 sentences were referred as possibly unduly lenient, compared to 377 in 2011 and 342 in 2010. Of the 435 referrals, 344 were eligible for consideration. Eighty eight offenders were referred to the Court of Appeal and 82 cases heard in court. Permission was granted in 73 cases and 62 offenders saw their sentence increase.
Sam Townend KC explains the Bar Council’s efforts towards ensuring a bright future for the profession
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Westgate Wealth Management Ltd is a Partner Practice of FTSE 100 company St. James’s Place – one of the top UK Wealth Management firms. We offer a holistic service of distinct quality, integrity, and excellence with the aim to build a professional and valuable relationship with our clients, helping to provide them with security now, prosperity in the future and the highest standard of service in all of our dealings.
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If you were to host a dinner party with 10 guests, and you asked them to explain what financial planning is and how it differs to financial advice, you’d receive 10 different answers. The variety of answers highlights the ongoing need to clarify and promote the value of financial planning.
Most of us like to think we would risk our career in order to meet our ethical obligations, so why have so many lawyers failed to hold the line? asks Flora Page
If your current practice environment is bringing you down, seek a new one. However daunting the change, it will be worth it, says Anon Barrister
Creating advocacy opportunities for juniors is now the expectation but not always easy to put into effect. Tom Mitcheson KC distils developing best practice from the Patents Court initiative already bearing fruit
Sam Townend KC explains the Bar Council’s efforts towards ensuring a bright future for the profession
The long-running fee-paid judicial pensions saga continues. The current cut-off date for giving notice of election to join FPJPS is 31 March 2024, and that date now gives rise to a serious problem, warns HH John Platt
