Category: Latest News

A 60% increase in the number of UK law firms merging has been seen over the last four years; according to analysis released by accountancy firm Wilkins Kennedy. The findings revealed a huge increase in the number of UK based law firms who are merging with competitors to become partners within the legal sector. This comes as more financial strain is put on individual firms with the drop in legal aid support and further red-tape on no-win, no-fee claims.

Within the analysis it is reported that 234 mergers have taken place over the last year. With a 60% increase on the same number four years ago it is now clearer than ever before what effect the current economic climate is having on individual law firms around the UK.

But why are so many firms merging with competitors? While the law industry is both highly lucrative and stable many firms have seen a nose dive in the number of clients being offered legal aid by the government; this is causing many clients not to be able to financially follow through a case. By partnering with other firms alike it offer two distinct advantages; a combination of skills and client base and also the ability to develop upon each other’s operating methods.

One cause for such a boom in mergers is also down to the lending of banks, as noted in The Law Society Gazette, many banks are no longer willing to lend to firms with the recent news that 30 of the top 200 firms are facing financial difficulty across the UK.

However, this report is not to say the UK legal sector is suffering from severe difficulties staying afloat but is simply highlighting changes operations within the sector which is also expected to create over 600,000 new jobs over the next ten years.

Ashton Hudson, Online Marketing Executive

ahudson@astonbond.co.uk

Here at Aston Bond Solicitors we handle trademark and copyright cases daily and come across a huge variety of different brand names and product names that people wish to trademark with the intent to protect their intellectual property. However, when it comes down to names it can be different case entirely. One example can be seen in Jay-Z and Beyoncé who trademarked the name of their child “Blue Ivy Carter” earlier this year.

But surely you cannot trademark a name? Well, in-fact you can. Before Jay-Z and Beyoncé applied for the trademark of “Blue Ivy Carter” other applications were made for the trademark of this name; however, all were refused. By the time Beyoncé and Jay-Z applied for trademark ownership, it was granted. However, this does not stop you from naming a child the same name; but does stop you from using such a name for your brand name and/or product name.

But is it likely that the next Royal Baby will also have a trademarked name? No, other than the royal family’s unlikelihood to want to trademark a name it would also be very unlikely to be accepted. With a name such as George or Elizabeth there are already multiple brand names using such generic names within their brand identity; making it unlikely for trademark ownership being handed over to the royals.

In the case of Jay-Z and Beyoncé the name “Blue Ivy Carter” is fairly unique and you can almost be certain that it will be a brand in some form in the years to come. But for now, the royal baby will remain un-trademarked.

Ashton Hudson, Online Marketing Executive

ahudson@astonbond.co.uk

In a recent report by the  Department for Business, Innovation and Skills the government has called for law firms to offer further routes into law at a non-graduate level to further grow the UK legal sector which is currently worth over £150 billion (annual). Within this report the government, along with a number of private sector professionals have urged law firms to offer further opportunity’s for school-leavers within the legal and accounting sector with the aim to fill 600,000 new jobs within the next ten years.

While Aston Bond is an increasingly professional law firm we have also continued to innovate and to offer further innovation in our services. We have found our work experience and apprenticeship colleagues of huge value to our business and our clients and have taken on three in the past month. The report, published last week, highlights the need for further encouragement into the legal sector for the young with many fearing both the financial worries and time span of higher education with tuition costs rising.

With the PBS sector of businesses currently employing over four million individuals across the UK and this is set to rise by over half a million within the next ten years. The need for further encouragement is clear; however, with the sector becoming increasingly competitive many students are under increasing pressure.

The report, which sets these targets out,  then goes on to highlight that Weightmans LLP became the first law firm to offer the new undergraduate level Higher Apprenticeship within the legal sector; this  allows candidates to obtain paralegal qualifications while working full time at a law firm. The government are keen to push this form of education across the board and further grow the UK legal sector.

However, in order to gain the qualifications to enter the legal sector it can often take  24-30 months as part of an higher apprenticeship (non-graduate). However, this is both a more limited time and lower cost alternative to graduate education; it also allows a hands on approach to dealing with clients from the early stages of an individuals career.

Ashton Hudson, Online Marketing Executive 

ahudson@astonbond.co.uk

Today Downing Street has confirmed that Sir John Thomas will take the role as the next Lord Chief Justice with the departure of Lord Judge. The news highlights the defeat of Lady Justice Hallett and Lord Justice Leveson; the later of the two recently carried out the inquiry into press standards.

The 65 year old will be officially introduced to his role in late September. This comes after a report by The Law Society Gazette which  reported that the Judicial Appointment Commission have made the recommendation to the Justice Secretary, Chris Grayling, which would then lead to a recommendation to David Cameron.

Sir John Thomas has led many inquires in the past; the biggest of which being the inquiry into the Mirror Group Newspaper after the death of Robert Maxwell, after Maxwell’s death it was uncovered that many companies he had worked alongside or owned had huge financial discrepancies; the Mirror Group Newspaper was found to have severe misleading’s within its pension fund system in which Maxwell had “fraudulently misappropriated”.

Sir Thomas is also one of many founders of the European Law Institute; he also went on to become the president of the British Insurance Law Association and vice-president of ARIAS UK.

This September Sir John Thomas will succeed Lord Judge who has taken the position for over five years. A salary of £239,845 a year has been reported by the Guardian online.

Ashton Hudson, Online Marketing Exectuvie

ahudson@astonbond.co.uk

A new report investigating the workings of the Crown Prosecution Service; who are currently responsible for public prosecutions relating to criminal cases in England and Wales has found that a lack of resources is currently weakening the court system and effecting overall preparation for court cases across England and Wales.

The report by the HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate has found that the overall quality of persecutors was increasing; however, individual cases need to be speed up throughout the court system. The report also went on to state that a lack in resources has caused court case preparation to crumble under the pressure as the CPS cut staff numbers due to funding cuts of around 27%.

The report then went on to state that, “Contested cases were being prepared only a few days before the trial”; suggesting a total lack of both preparation and communicating within the court system throughout England and Wales. The report also went on to point the finger at Police officers throughout the country, claiming that the Police were taking the wrong decisions weather to charge a suspect or not; the report then went to to say this should be the responsibility of the prosecutor.

When the CPS gave a statement they said,  “We have had to make savings of 27% to our budget, but we are achieving this while both protecting frontline teams and improving performance.” One member of the Bar Council then went on to say that the CPS were being striped to their bare minimum.

One cause of these issues over the past two years is certain to be the cuts made within the CPS and as highlighted in the report both a lack of communication and lack of preparation; which all causes the court proceedings to slow. The full report can be found here.

Ashton Hudson, Online Marketing Executive

ahudson@astonbond.co.uk 

In a recent decision made by the Strasbourg European court it is now considered that a whole-life imprisonment is against a persons human rights. According to the Strasbourg a whole-life imprisonment will go against Article 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights and a whole-life imprisonment goes against the rights of a person by treating them inhuman.

Since the original statement was given by the Strasbourg board it has caused a dramatic media hype with many questioning if a person who has been imprisoned for life have the right to human rights at this level.

Within the statement given the Strasbourg court went on to say, “For a life sentence to remain compatible with article 3 there had to be both a possibility of release and for reviews to take place.”

While such views expressed by the Strasbourg court have attracted many mixed opinions the statement will not change how the law system currently works across England and Wales. The UK government, in particular, are very likely to fight against such views.

This statement comes after three notorious murderers,  Jeremy Bamber, Peter Moore and Douglas Vinter all stated that they believed a whole-life imprisonment was against their human rights.  At the present time, a person is able to be imprisoned for a whole-life sentence without review or the possibility of being released; if the law was to follow the statement from Strasbourg this would no longer be a illegal for of imprisonment. However, many imprisoned criminals still have the ability for their case to be reviewed by the courts and a release may be ordered in the present system.

If changed the law could then state that a person can only be imprisoned for a whole-life sentence if their case is reviewed at certain periods and if they have the possibility of a release at the courts discretion.

Ashton Hudson, Online Marketing Executive

ahudson@astonbond.co.uk

A recently announced decision made by the Privy Council has made dramatic changes to the law regarding tort of civil malicious prosecution within English law. A malicious prosecution is labeled as a legal process initiated for no probable cause other than the personal attack of an individual or to discredit that individual or an individual company. The recent decision now enables a victim of such a malicious prosecution to claim and recover financial damages caused by this libel.

The decision taken by the Privy Council now enables an individual or company to re-gain damages caused during this malicious prosecution if the original “malicious case” put against them was considered unsuccessful and seen as an attempt of defamation.

Beforehand an individual or company was limited to the damages it could reclaim financially; however, this new announcement will allow an individual or company to sue for all foreseeable financial damages that the previous “malicious prosecution” may have caused. These financial damages may include the loss of business or the unwillingness of others to employ that individual because of this recent wrongful prosecution.

For the average individual or business this means that they now have the legal right to recover all economic damages which may have been caused from a wrongly initiated prosecution within England. This is only if the original prosecution was seen as malicious by the court and was unsuccessful.

For solicitors this now allows their clients to push for a prosecution against an individual or company if their previous prosecution was seen as malicious by the court. Our solicitors can offer further information relating to malicious prosecution law.

Ashton Hudson, Online Marketing Executive

ahudson@astonbond.co.uk