Legal News

Iraq invasion 'had no legal mandate', Dutch inquiry finds

Posted on January 12, 2010
The invasion of Iraq had no sound mandate under international law, according to the Dutch inquiry into the war released this morning.

Instead of scrapping stop and search we should rethink its use

Posted on January 12, 2010
One of my routine tasks as head of counter-terrorism for the Metropolitan Police was to apply to the Home Secretary for authority to conduct stop and search under the terror laws.

'Rio Tinto Four' case turned over to Chinese prosecutors

Posted on January 11, 2010
The case of four executives of Rio Tinto, the Australian mining giant, who stand accused of industrial espionage was turned over to prosecutors today, increasing the likelihood that they will face prison sentences.

Marco Pierre White challenge could change divorce battles for ever

Posted on January 11, 2010
Take one celebrity chef, separate him from his wife, sprinkle with allegations of intercepted letters, simmer and serve with a landmark ruling.

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

Chinese hand Rio Tinto case to prosecutors

Posted on January 11, 2010
Chinese investigators have concluded their investigation into four executives of Rio Tinto, the dual-listed mining group, and turned the case to prosecutors, increasing the likelihood that they will face jail.

Marco Pierre White case shows how family lawyers can get into a stew

Posted on January 11, 2010
All?s fair in love ? and divorce. Or is it?

Ex-Evolution analyst tipped off trader friend

Posted on January 11, 2010
A former analyst at Evolution Securities committed market abuse when he passed inside information to a friend who used it to make £85,500 on spread bets, a Financial Services Authority (FSA) tribunal ruled today.

Scientists split as Baroness Greenfield starts legal action against Royal Institution

Posted on January 09, 2010
The row over Baroness Greenfield?s departure as director of the Royal Institution is threatening to divide Britain?s academic elite.

McKinsey consultant pleads guilty to fraud

Posted on January 08, 2010
A former director at McKinsey & Co, the management consultancy group, has pleaded guilty to fraud charges, as part of a co-operation deal that authorities hope will stengthen the insider trading case against Raj Rajaratnam, the founder of the Galleon hedge fund.

Maxwell escapes bankruptcy after settlement with pawnbroker

Posted on January 08, 2010
Kevin Maxwell, the son of Robert Maxwell, the late media tycoon, escaped bankruptcy yesterday after reaching a settlement over money owed to a London pawnbroker.

Google making millions from advertising counterfeit goods

Posted on January 08, 2010
Google is making millions of pounds from fraudsters who pay to advertise counterfeit jewellery, clothing and electrical items on the search engine.

Founder of Oink music piracy site 'had $300,000 in bank'$

Posted on January 07, 2010
A man who ran an illegal pirate music site which allowed 21 million downloads had almost $300,000 in his bank account when police raided his home, a jury heard today.$

10,000 own up to 'morally unacceptable' tax evasion

Posted on January 07, 2010
Stephen Timms, the Treasury Minister, today branded offshore tax evasion "morally unacceptable" today, as HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced that about 10,000 people came forward to declare money in offshore accounts before the UK tax amnesty deadline on Monday.

OFT refers bus industry over poor service and prices

Posted on January 07, 2010
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) today referred local bus services across the UK to the Competition Commission, after an investigation found that limited competition is resulting in higher prices and lower quality for customers.

Science fiction writer?s family to sue Google over Nexus smartphone

Posted on January 07, 2010
Google's new Nexus One smartphone is the latest gadget to catch the headlines, but one family is not impressed.

Case of ?Heathrow four? to be challenged as lone judge prepares for historic trial

Posted on January 07, 2010
Defence lawyers are preparing to challenge the first criminal trial in England and Wales for 400 years to go ahead without a jury. The case is expected to be heard next week.

OFT report behind the times, say bus operators

Posted on January 07, 2010
The country?s biggest bus operators may be forced to sell or share depots if findings by the Office of Fair Trading?s (OFT) about a lack of competition in the industry outside London are upheld.

Overseas online gambling groups will need licence

Posted on January 07, 2010
Overseas online gambling companies that target British punters will require a licence under proposals outlined yesterday by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

In the City: seeing in a new super-efficient year over crème brûlée, chocolate marquise et lemon mousse

Posted on January 06, 2010
New year menu

Attorney General Baroness Scotland may block Israeli war crimes warrants

Posted on January 06, 2010
The Attorney General could be given a veto over arrest warrants for foreign leaders in an attempt to placate Israeli ministers who fear war crimes prosecutions if they visit Britain.

Iraq inquiry: we have every right to know why we went to war

Posted on January 06, 2010
The Iraq inquiry has resumed this week, promising crucial witnesses ? Tony Blair, Jack Straw, Lord Goldsmith and possibly Gordon Brown.We have been told repeatedly what it is not: a trial, an inquest, an inquisition, a court, a statutory inquiry. Nevertheless, however its investigative format is described, none of this fancy terminological footwork can evade the central expectation for a thorough, transparent and impartial quest for the truth about the way decisions and actions were carried out.

FSA brings criminal case against ex-iSoft directors

Posted on January 06, 2010
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has started a criminal prosecution against four former directors of iSoft Group, the healthcare software business that was forced to restate its results following an accounting scandal in 2006.

Advice for 2010? Love your clients and taking nothing for granted

Posted on January 06, 2010
Last year was traumatic for many law firms. Few avoided staff cutbacks or shorter time working. In many cases partners took home significantly less than they had earned in recent years and managing partners have had to take tough decisions to deal with the downturn.

FSA takes a hard line with iSoft four

Posted on January 06, 2010
The founder and three former directors of iSoft Group, the software business embroiled in an accounting scandal while working for the NHS in 2006, are being prosecuted for the criminal offence of misleading the stock market.

Lord Justice Jackson: the potential for change is enormous

Posted on January 06, 2010
Not all the big Jackson stories last year were about celebrities. One of the biggest stories in the legal world was that of Lord Justice Jackson and his fundamental review of the costs of civil litigation and recommendations to promote access to justice at a proportionate cost...

Lawyer of the Week: Bruce Carr

Posted on January 06, 2010
Bruce Carr, QC, of Devereux Chambers, recently acted for British Airways in the High Court. In the case Mrs Justice Cox issued an injunction banning planned strike action by BA cabin crew, which had been due to take place over 12 days around Christmas, ruling that the ballot of staff had been flawed.

Credit-crunch saturation slows US class actions

Posted on January 06, 2010
The number of class action lawsuits filed in the US dropped 24 per cent last year as credit crunch-related litigation began to slow, according to a study.

Quirk of law leaves larger issues at play

Posted on January 05, 2010
The power for a private individual to seek an arrest warrant from a British court for a foreign national they wish to prosecute is an unusual but not unique quirk of English law. The ability, which derives from the Magistrates? Courts Act 1980, is also available in varying forms in the Netherlands, Spain, the Czech Republic and New Zealand.

UBS ?whistleblower? loses jail-term battle

Posted on January 04, 2010
A former banker with UBS who triggered a huge tax-evasion inquiry by the American authorities into his employer?s business will go to jail this week after failing to secure a deal over a sentence imposed on him last August.

Shell is fined over accident at oil refinery

Posted on January 04, 2010
Shell and two of its contractors were fined a combined £283,000 by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) yesterday over an accident at an oil refinery that left a worker paralysed from the waist down.

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.