Aston Bond Law Firm, Author at Aston Bond

Top 3 TV Shows for Wannabe Lawyers

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Aston Bond Law Firm

It’s hard to imagine what it would be like to have a professional career as a lawyer or what it is like to work in a legal environment. However, the subject of law within TV shows has seen a huge boost over the past two years with a number of huge TV networks launching shows based around the legal profession.

So, what better way to get a taste of the legal profession than from your living room couch? Today I have compiled the top 3 shows currently airing all about being a lawyer. Enjoy.

The Briefs

If you’re looking for a realistic look at the legal lifestyle then you will love The Briefs. The documentary show follows a well know English law firm as they go by their daily work. Ranging from criminal damage cases to a simple call to the court. The show gives a realistic and non-edited look at the life of a criminal defence lawyer. Originally aired on BBC and continuing repeats being shown The Briefs is a real look at the UK legal system and men and women behind it.

Suits

Suits has been a huge hit in America and its cult like following is spreading across the Atlantic with the show now being hugely successful here in the UK. The drama and comedy show follows a fictional law firm based in New York as a new guy works his way up in the industry without ease. The show ranges from jealous colleagues to general life issues but has a comedic feel along the way.

Law & Order UK

Originally a U.S TV show Law and Order soon made its way to British TV and is now on its seventh series. The dramatic show gives the views of the two sides of the legal sector, the Police who catch the criminal and the lawyers who try to prove them innocent. The show follows through each investigation from the forensics to the final court case and has a truly captivating story along the way.

So, if you’re preparing to begin law school this September then these three shows may be worth watching. If you have any suggestions of your own then why not send us a tweet.

Ashton Hudson, Online Marketing Executive

ahudson@astonbond.co.uk

G20 Nations to Take on Global Tax Avoidance

Posted on September 5, 2013 by Aston Bond Law Firm

The worlds G20 nations are expected to make an agreement today to fight against tax avoidance by multinationals. While much of the gathering will be taken up by topics including Syria and the US financial stimulus programme it is expected that the G20 nations will sign an agreement putting further focus on tax avoidance.

The focus of these discussions will be the use of legal methods to avoid tax being used by the world’s biggest companies including Starbucks and Amazon. In recent months it has been revealed that many international companies have been using a number of legal methods to avoid tax, it is these methods which the G20 nations aim to put pressure on.

Ashton Hudson, Online Marketing Executive

ahudson@astonbond.co.uk

The Ministry of Sound takes on Spotify with Copyright Lawsuit

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Aston Bond Law Firm

It has been confirmed today that the UK based record label The Ministry of Sound has filed a lawsuit against online music streaming service Spotify for damages and the removal of playlists including its tracks.

This comes after the record label has repeatedly requested that Spotify, which was founded in Sweden in 2008, to remove playlist which included its tracks and thereby infringing copyright laws.

The record label claims that they had repeatedly requested that Spotify remove the playlists which featured songs using “Ministry of Sound” in their titles, however, Spotify did not comply with these request. Along with the request of these playlist being removed from the service The Ministry of Sound has also filled for damages and losses caused by the music streaming services refusal to remove the playlists.

But does Spotify have the responsibility to remove these playlist? In short, yes. Spotify are the only people able to remove playlist from its service, other than the individuals who created the original playlist. Furthermore, Spotify is a paid for service; this means that the users of this playlist may have been paying to listen to the music without the record label receiving any form of imbursement.

While Spotify did not speak regarding the lawsuit directly they did go onto say that over 1 billion playlist have been created by its users since its launch and that over 20 million tracks are available on its service. However, you could argue that this adds further fuel to the fire with this highlighting the financial gain being made from the music streaming service which currently has 24 million users; many of which pay a monthly subscription.

The outcome of the case is yet to be seen. However, the lawsuit is sure to go ahead with legal proceedings being launched this past Monday in the UK’s high court by The Ministry of Sound.

Ashton Hudson, Online Marketing Executive

ahudson@astonbond.co.uk

The Affects of Lender Cherry Picking in Conveyancing

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Aston Bond Law Firm

Many of the high street firms today suffer from the ruling powers of the lenders. As the local solicitors find it increasingly hard to obtain membership on to the lenders panels, many solicitors across the nation feel hard done by and argue that the lenders are “cherry picking” so to speak on who they would like on their panels.

Although this may seem unfair from the solicitor’s point of view, the other side of the coin is that the lenders are becoming ever more anxious and feel the necessary need to protect them from mortgage fraud and other illegal activities. Due to this worry the lenders are keeping their panels of approved solicitors to a minimum.

Is there any consistency that the lender has in their panel systems?

This alternatively means that the hard part is not yet complete, as even those firms who are currently on the panels are subject to even more conditions. These conditions can vary from having more than three or more partners in the practice or it could be that the lender decides that no work has been placed with them in a set time period, which leads to the lender removing the solicitors firm from their panel.

The solicitor’s main concern is that of their clients. If the client would like to use a certain firm they would first have to now check if that particular firm is on the lenders panel. If the solicitor firm is subsequently not this could lead to major financial blow to the high street firm’s conveyancing department. As more clients would vanish from the firm and be placed with those firms who are on the panels.

The law society has now offered a more practical solution to this increasing problem local solicitors are finding. They have now introduced the Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS).

But is this scheme to little too late for the local high street firms?

Once obtained the Conveyancing Quality Scheme shows a firm’s ability to show efficiency in the firm in the conveyancing department. It can be argued that surely an established well known local firm who have been incorporated for many years with an exceptional clientèle should not have to prove their worth by a certificate and fee. Exceptional, good and adequate conveyancing can be acquired by those firms are not on this scheme. This scheme which has been implemented by the law society is an action against the lenders and is seen as a long term solution.

However as more firms have now incorporated the Conveyancing Quality Scheme a question must be raised, will the lenders still cherry pick?

Vinesh Patel, Paralegal

vpatel@astonbond.co.uk

The Co-operative Introduce Online Solicitor Training Scheme

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Aston Bond Law Firm

A new scheme set up by the Co-operative Legal Services and the Manchester Metropolitan University will allow future lawyers to learn the art of being a lawyer through an online teaching system it was recently announced.

The new scheme along with the current apprenticeship scheme and university postgraduate programme will enable trainee solicitors to progress faster in their chosen area of law while still learning the skills needed to flourish in their career as a legal professional.

The new scheme will also use existing qualifications from CILEx and the Chartered Insurance Institute which will all work towards allowing trainee solicitors to further progress in their career as a legal professional.

However, this news is overshadowed by the recent news of a £3.4 million loss in the first half of this year for the Co-operative. The future of this scheme is unknown with it still being in its infancy; however, it does highlight a change in how people enter the legal sector.

Ashton Hudson, Online Marketing Executive

ahudson@astonbond.co.uk

Legal Services Consumer Panel Call for Single Regulator

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Aston Bond Law Firm

As the Ministry of Justice conduct an in-depth review of the current regulations of the legal system the Legal Services Consumer Panel have called for a single independent regulator to be set up for the entire legal sector.

This comes as the MOJ review the current legal system across the UK with the aim to simplify the current legal services regulations. However, the dramatic response from the Legal Services Consumer Panel highlights how consumers view the current regulatory system surrounding the UK legal sector.

The chair of the panel, Elisabeth Davis, went on to say that the current system isn’t delivering the outcomes consumers need, offering instead a confusing maze where consumers can find themselves in a dead end due to the gaps in redress and regulations.

Furthermore, the panel went on to say that regulators and ombudsman are unsure of which area they currently regulate.

Since this response the MOJ are under further pressure to scrap the current regulatory system. However, as the market becomes increasingly competitive many believe that scrapping the current system at this point may put consumers at further risk. However, if a new system is introduced it will see dramatic changes including the possible closure of regulatory bodies including the SRA and LSB. However, it may be seen as the best and only long-term option available in order stream line the system making it easier for consumers to make the right choices and in turn reducing the cost of legal services.

Ashton Hudson, Online Marketing Executive

ahudson@astonbond.co.uk

Capture your bounty like Elliot Ness

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Aston Bond Law Firm

Al Capone was once a well known crime figure and a leader among the American underworld. Back in the 1930’s he had a personal fortune of over $100 million dollars. After all his crimes he committed to reach the top he was eventually brought to justice by none other than Elliot Ness. The only way to capture Al Capone was through his books and finally justice prevailed as he was caught evading tax.

When paying your taxes there is a very fine line between that of avoidance and evasion. Put rightly by our former Chancellor of Exchequer Denis Healey, who once said:

“The difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion is the thickness of a prison wall”.

Avoiding tax involves using legal methods, these methods can be as simple as planning a clients finances so that they are eligible to use the deductions and exemptions available to them to their full advantage. Also other forms can include investing money every year into cash ISA accounts and bonds to reduce the amount of tax to pay.

However, avoiding tax must be distinguished from evading tax, this in turn is a criminal sanction. Tax evasion involves paying less tax than the law requires you to pay. This can be disguised in different ways such as declaring less income and profit. This is commonly known as being part of the informal economy and now new measures have been placed on this unreported income.

Complicated as it may sound, tax law is a very niche area of the law but also very necessary as there are only two certainties in life; death and taxes. If we can take any advice from our former Chancellor of Exchequer it is that we need to stay on the other side of the prison wall.

Vinesh Patel, Paralegal

vpatel@astonbond.co.uk

Aston Bond’s Solicitors in Slough specialise in tax law and advice individuals and businesses across England and Wales on their taxes. If you would like to speak to one of our specialist tax law solicitors please call 01753 486 777 or email info@astonbond.co.uk. Alternatively, you can visit our offices at 135 High Street, Slough, Berkshire, SL1 1DN.

Your Rights: Marches and Processions

Posted on August 23, 2013 by Aston Bond Law Firm

In recent months many public demonstrations have hit the headlines of the world’s media and at the centre of these headlines if often the rights that individuals or groups of people have when holding a demonstration, march or procession. Within this blog post I will run over your rights regarding marches and processions in public regarding how the police or authorities handle you and how you must organise a procession to hold it lawfully.

What is a Procession?

Firstly you must understand what the term “procession” means. The Public Order Act labels a procession as a group of people moving along a route; however, the act does not clearly state the minimum number of people who are categorised as a procession. However, in general a procession is categorised as a group of individuals moving along a single route.

What Rights do The Police Have over Processions?

Police currently have extensive control over processions across England. Police are able to place conditions and even ban a procession from taking place if they believe the correct procedures have not been followed by the organisers of the processions or its puts the public at risk. Furthermore, if you do not comply with the ban or conditions imposed by the police it is in-fact a criminal offence.

The police retain the right to make conditions when the procession is under way; however, these decisions can only be made by certain authorities within the police force. However, the POA say that conditions can only be put in place if serious public disorder takes place, serious damage to property or if serious disruption is caused to the community life. Furthermore, all conditions given must be in writing.

What Procedures Must a Procession Organiser Follow?

In order to hold a legal procession there are multiple procedures which must be followed. The first is to notify the local authorities (Police, Ambulance etc.) of the procession and make them fully aware of the route of this procession and the reasoning behind it. This is especially important in regards to political marches.

The act then goes on to note that advanced notice should be given if the procession aims to make the public aware of a campaign, oppose or support the actions of any group, show support of any groups and to mark or commemorate an event.

When giving advanced notice it must be given in writing and within the document contain the date of the procession, the time of the procession, the intended route of the procession and the name and address of the procession organiser.

The notice must be delivered to the police station close to where the procession will take place and at least six days before the procession will take place. However, if the procession is planned at short notice the organiser must hand in the notice by hand before the procession takes place.

If the advanced notice is not handed in as required this is a criminal offence; furthermore, if the date, time and place on the notice is different to that of the procession this is also a criminal offence on the part of the organiser.

While the rights of the organiser and individuals taking part in a procession to differ dependent on the location (e.g. private property) or the reason for the procession and aims of the procession, the rights above are universal unless otherwise stated within the Public Order Act of 1986.

Ashton Hudson, Online Marketing Executive

ahudson@astonbond.co.uk

Aston Bond Partners with Kurt & Kocak Consultancy Limited

Posted on August 22, 2013June 22, 2015 by Aston Bond Law Firm

Aston Bond Law Firm is pleased to announce that they and Kurt & Kocak Consultancy Limited, which is a highly regarded consultancy firm in Turkey, have agreed to forge alliances together in order to provide better services to their clients.

Tulin Kiranoglu-Hamit who is registered in Istanbul and the London Bar Association (tkiranoglu@astonbond.co.uk; +44 (0)1753 486 777) provides valuable legal services to many Turkish clients based in either in Turkey or in the United Kingdom. Mrs Kiranoglu-Hamit primarily specialises in international aspects of taxation and company law. Aston Bond Law Firm will also be offering discounts to Kurt & Kocak Consultancy’s clients to strengthen their partnership.

We hope that this partnership will be beneficial for our respective clients.

Tulin Kiranoglu, Tax Advisor & Solicitor

tkiranoglu@astonbond.co.uk

Brits to Face Aggressive Fines for Careless Driving

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Aston Bond Law Firm

From today careless drivers on the roads of the Britain can now be fined on the spot if seen driving recklessly or carelessly. The fine can be anything up to £100 in addition to three points on their drivers licence.

In addition to this change, current fines will be increased; if seen using your mobile phone when driving you can now be fined £40 more than usual (£100) or if seen not wearing a seatbelt securely you can also receive a fine of up to £100.

These changes are an attempt by government and local authorities to drop the number of small cases going through court as the UK legal system is put under further financial strain. However, larger road incidents will continue to go through the courts.

People who are caught breaking road traffic laws have two options. The first being to take an on-the-spot fine of up to £100 plus three points on their licence; the second option is to take a road safety driving course.

While many see the changes as a government money spinner it is also likely to make drivers more cautious of dangerous or careless driving; and the roads safer.

Ashton Hudson, Online Marketing Executive

ahudson@astonbond.co.uk