News
February 2008
Morgan Cole Solicitors promotes five of its lawyers
Morgan Cole Solicitors has promoted five of its lawyers to senior associates
as part of its growth programme. The expansion involves the promotion of
solicitors Paul Kathrens and Ian Jones in the employment pension and
benefits teams in Cardiff and Swansea, commercial property lawyer James
Egan, corporate transaction specialist Jayne McCarthy and insurance lawyer
Neil Forsyth.
(Wales Business Insider)
February 2008
Lawyers given chance to ditch wig and gown
The traditional wigs and gowns that are the hallmark of the legal profession are finally to be swept away in a shake-up of legal dress.
The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, is set to abolish wigs at least for civil, family and commercial cases in a move that ends more than 300 years of tradition. Instead he will announce soon that judges will have the choice of wearing a simple black robe, which will have either a facing or arm stripe of a particular colour, denoting their rank.
The colours will be gold for the Court of Appeal, red for the High Court, purple for the circuit bench and either green or blue for the district bench. The 17th-century horsehair wig will still be worn in criminal trials. The issue of judicial dress has been one of Lord Phillips’s bugbears since he took office in October 2005, when he told The Times that wigs contributed to the public view of judges as old-fashioned and out-of-touch.
The new zip-up robe, which can be worn without a jacket underneath, is
likely to be phased in and to be optional.
The Department for Constitutional Affairs is believed to be keen on the idea
because of the cost savings. A judge’s daily wig costs some £800 and the
full-bottomed wig £2,000.
(The Times)
26th July 2007
Salaries: Osborne Clarke raises the bar
Good news for associates: the boom in City salaries appears to be filtering out to the regions, following Osborne Clarke's announcement of significant pay rises for its regional offices. This development is welcome not only for OC lawyers, but also those practising with several national rivals currently conducting salary reviews. After all, nobody wants to be left trailing in the battle to attract and retain talent.
New Qualifiers will note that salary rates for OC's Thames Valley and Bristol offices are the highest in their respective markets; they are also in the top tier for salary bandings amongst all firms outside London. 2007 also promises to be a strong bonus year, with bandings of 6% - 25% predicted.