Clifford Chance launches lawtech training contract that leads to qualification as a solicitor7/31/2018 New scheme will run alongside firm’s conventional training contract Magic circle giant Clifford Chance (CC) has unveiled a new training contract specifically geared to students with an aptitude for technology. The programme, for which applications have opened this morning, will lead to qualification as a solicitor. Five places are available. It will run alongside CC’s much larger conventional training contract, onto which the firm recruited 80 students last year. Legal Cheek understands that pay across both programmes will be the same. According to CC, the lawtech training contract will mirror the structure of a regular training contract but will see trainees given time away from fee-earning to gain specific lawtech exposure. More broadly, there will be a focus on how lawtech and digitisation are revolutionising the legal working environment. Upon qualification, lawtech trainees will have the opportunity to join one of Clifford Chance’s main practice areas of finance, corporate, capital markets, litigation & dispute resolution, real estate, tax, pensions and employment. Commenting on the new initiative, dubbed ‘IGNITE’, CC regional managing partner Michael Bates said:
The new scheme is open to law and non-law students of all disciplines, with the firm stating that it is “designed for individuals that have an appetite for technology areas such as fintech, coding and AI [and] an ambition to become a qualified lawyer”. Accordingly it will probably have a strong appeal to science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) students looking to convert to law. With this in mind, we reached out to Bláithín Dockery, president of Imperial College London’s Student Law Society. She said:
CC’s lawtech training contract comes on the back of last month’s announcement that it is developing a tech-focused internship for some of its future trainees in conjunction with London start-up Lexoo. It also follows fellow magic circle outfit Allen & Overy’s March announcement that it was launching a lawtech graduate recruitment scheme. However, the A&O programme, which also targets STEM students, results in a project management rather than solicitor qualification. The post Clifford Chance launches lawtech training contract that leads to qualification as a solicitor appeared first on Legal Cheek. from https://www.legalcheek.com/2018/08/clifford-chance-launches-lawtech-training-contract-that-leads-to-qualification-as-a-solicitor/
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She’s understood to have deals with a betting company and a number of top beauty brands Love Island solicitor Rosie Williams claims to have earned her year’s salary in a single month since exiting the villa. Speaking to BBC Radio’s 5 Live show, Williams said: “I’ve made my year earnings in a month, let’s just say that, doing this.” So what exactly is this? The 26-year-old solicitor is understood to have cashed in through a combination of event appearances and sponsored Instagram posts with businesses including betting giant William Hill and beauty brand Iconic London. When the shows host suggested that being a solicitor would have earned Williams a good salary, she replied: “I feel like the legal profession is struggling at the moment”. Williams trained with Manchester law firm Just Costs Solicitors and was only three months qualified when she entered the Spanish villa last month. Despite appearing on our screens for just 16 days, Williams — who has over 700,000 Instagram followers — has shaped herself into a valuable marketing tool for businesses looking to promote their products and services. News of William’s improved earning power comes just days after we spoke to her exclusively about law, love and her plans for the future. When quizzed on why she decided to put her fledgling legal career on hold, the Welsh-born lawyer explained:
During the same interview, Williams revealed she hadn’t ruled out a return to law and is currently in talks to appear on a new legal TV show later this year. The final of the popular reality series aired last night and viewers saw Jack Fincham and Dani Dyer take home this year’s Love Island crowns. The post ‘I’ve made my year’s earnings in a month’, says Love Island solicitor Rosie Williams appeared first on Legal Cheek. from https://www.legalcheek.com/2018/07/ive-made-my-years-earnings-in-a-month-says-love-island-solicitor-rosie-williams/
Sign up for the latest Russia investigation updates here » The former chairman of President Donald Trump's campaign will be the first to face trial Tuesday as part of the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Paul Manafort stands charged with 18 counts related to tax fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, failure to register as a foreign agent, and obstruction of justice. The indictment, brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the Eastern District of Virginia, says Manafort committed many of those crimes while working as an unregistered lobbyist in the US for the Ukrainian government and pro-Russia interests beginning in 2006. Rick Gates, Manafort's longtime business partner and the former deputy chairman of the Trump campaign, was initially named as a co-defendant with Manafort, but he struck a plea deal with prosecutors in February. Gates pleaded guilty to two counts related to conspiracy and lying to the FBI. He will testify on behalf of the prosecution in the Manafort trial. What to expectJury selection begins on Tuesday. The process kicked off last month when prosecutors submitted a lengthy questionnaire to screen potential jurors for any biases. Prosecutors say they expect to be finished presenting their case to the jury in eight to 10 days. The trial is expected to last a total of three to four weeks, which experts say is fairly typical for a fraud case like Manafort's. US District Judge T.S. Ellis III, who is overseeing the trial, has repeatedly instructed the parties to leave politics out of it. He reminded potential jurors to do the same last week. Alex Whiting, a former federal prosecutor in Boston and Washington, DC, said there are two things at play that protect a jury from being tainted by bias, political or otherwise. The first is the screening process, known as voir dire. The second thing, he said, is that there is a "culture and atmosphere created in the trial process and in the courtroom" that reminds jurors of the "importance of a fair trial, the stakes, and the consequences for a defendant if they don't put aside their biases." Ellis indicated as much to the potential jury pool last week. He reminded them that their work was a critical facet of the US legal system, and that they had to judge Manafort solely based on the evidence presented at his trial. "Nothing you do as an American citizen is more important," Ellis said. "Together with voting, it is one of the two cardinal duties of being an American citizen." The prosecution's roadmap: Outline Manafort's 'lavish' spendingOn Friday, prosecutors released a list of potential witnesses they may call on to testify during the trial. The list, which included Gates, has 35 names, many of whom are Manafort's former business associates. The list also included purveyors of luxury goods, like a high-end men’s clothing dealer, a Mercedes Benz salesman, and a ticket vendor for the New York Yankees. Their inclusion indicates that prosecutors will spend at least some time highlighting Manafort’s extravagant spending over the last decade. "Prosecutors love to throw in all the over-the-top spending fraudsters usually go for, and Manafort is no exception," said Jeffrey Cramer, a longtime former federal prosecutor who spent 12 years at the DOJ. "First of all, it's relevant because you're following the money. Second, it has a lot of jury appeal." Whiting said that based on the indictment against Manafort, the government appears to have a strong case. The document is a "speaking indictment," a term lawyers use to describe a charging document that is lengthy, detailed, and includes more information than is required by law. Whiting said that while the case will include a little political context based on the nature of the charges, for the most part, it's a run-of-the-mill fraud case. Cramer agreed. "There's nothing special about Paul Manafort, other than that he was in close proximity to the president of the United States," he said. "The facts of this case have nothing to do with politics or Russian collusion or Trump. It's just a guy who was acting as a lobbyist when he shouldn't have been, collecting money for those efforts, and trying to hide that money away. That's what prosecutors will focus on." The defense faces 'an uphill battle', but could play politics to their advantageThe defense, meanwhile, "has an uphill battle" based on the indictment and other court filings the prosecution has made, Whiting said. Joshua Dressler, a law professor at Ohio State University, told Reuters that although the evidence against Manafort seems strong, he lucked out by drawing a favorable judge like Ellis. A Reagan appointee, Ellis is known to be tough on prosecutors, and he demonstrated as much during several pre-trial hearings in the Manafort case this year. Dressler added that as much as the judge may try to keep bias out of the trial, the political climate surrounding the case increases the chances of a hung jury that can't reach a verdict. Cramer echoed that point and said it was exactly why it would benefit Manafort for his legal team to weave more political subtext into the proceedings. "If they fight this battle on just the facts, it's a tough case," he said. "If you're a defense lawyer, you want to talk about anything other than the facts here. So if you can taint the investigation as political in nature or a witch hunt, especially now, your hope is that it'll resonate with at least one juror and get your client off the hook." Manafort's defense until now rested largely on two pillars: arguing that the case should be tossed out because the crimes he was charged with are irrelevant since they have nothing to do with Russian collusion, and arguing that the scope of Mueller's mandate was too broad. Ellis rejected a motion last month from Manafort's lawyers to dismiss the Virginia case on both of those grounds. Manafort's gamble: Could Trump pardon him?That said, the biggest question for legal experts isn't the dynamic of the case, but why Manafort chose to go to trial in the first place. The answer to why Manafort hasn't flipped, they say, can likely be boiled down to one thing: a presidential pardon. Rudy Giuliani, Trump's lead defense lawyer, said the president is not currently considering pardons for anyone caught in Mueller's crosshairs. Giuliani said Trump wants to wait until the Russia investigation is over, at which point he may grant pardons to those he believes have been treated unfairly. "Manafort maximizes his chances of getting a pardon by going to trial," Whiting said. "In his situation, given the facts of his case, the rational thing to do is plead guilty without cooperating and get the benefit of a guilty plea, or plead guilty and cooperate and get a bigger benefit. The only way it makes sense for him to go to trial is if he thinks he's going to get a pardon." The New York Times reported in March that John Dowd, Trump's former lead defense attorney, floated the possibility of pardons to both Manafort and former national security adviser Michael Flynn last year, as the Russia probe was closing in on both men. Whiting said that if such an offer was made — which Dowd denied — it could explain Manafort's willingness to face trial. He added that this outcome is also the most beneficial to the president. "If Trump pardons Manafort now, then Manafort can be subpoenaed to testify," he said. "And of course, if Manafort pleaded guilty, he may choose to cooperate. The pardon dangle encourages Manafort to hang tough, not cooperate, and reap the benefit later, maybe in a year or two." But Cramer said there's an important caveat in Manafort's case. "He's banking entirely on the whim of the president," he said. "So it's a high stakes game of poker that Manafort's playing here." One intriguing possibility that hasn't been explored as much is whether Manafort could flip after being convicted. If he chooses that route, the former Trump campaign chairman wouldn't benefit as much if he would have agreed to cooperate before going to trial. "Unlike other defendants — and this is where politics come into it — Manafort is uniquely positioned to know things about other facets of the Mueller probe that have to do with the Trump campaign, and that's why he's valuable," Cramer said. "Would he talk about things other than what he's convicted for, about the president or anything else he knows?" DON'T MISS: Read the indictment of Paul Manafort Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: North Korean defector: Kim Jong Un 'is a terrorist' from https://www.businessinsider.com/paul-manafort-trial-mueller-what-to-know-2018-7 Stephen Colbert discusses the sexual misconduct allegations against his boss CBS CEO Les Moonves7/31/2018
Stephen Colbert addressed the recent allegations of sexual misconduct against his boss, CBS CEO and chairman Les Moonves, in his "Late Show" monologue on Monday. Moonves was accused of sexual misconduct by six women in a New Yorker report by Ronan Farrow published on Friday. Colbert opened his monologue by joking that he had been in South Carolina without internet ("They don't have it there yet," he said), when he "heard there was an article about CBS chairman — and man I hope isn't watching tonight's monologue — Les Moonves." The "Late Show" host then did a spit-take upon learning that Farrow, who previously wrote a bombshell New Yorker report on allegations against Harvey Weinstein, had also written the Moonves report for The New Yorker. "That's not good. Ronan isn't exactly known for his puff pieces about glamping," Colbert joked. Colbert threw to a news clip detailing the allegations against Moonves, which his accusers told The New Yorker appeared to be "a practiced routine" of forcible kissing and touching. "Well, you know the old saying, 'How do you get in a Ronan Farrow article? Practice, practice, practice,'" Colbert said. The host then addressed CBS' announcement on Monday that the company would not suspend Moonves during an outside investigation into the allegations against him. "I don't know why they're outsourcing this," Colbert joked of the investigation. "They could just use the cast of the new CBS procedural: 'CSI: CEO.'" Watch the clip below: Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Why the World Cup soccer ball looks so different from https://www.businessinsider.com/stephen-colbert-discusses-allegations-against-cbs-ceo-les-moonves-2018-7 One associate-to-be is on a fixed term contract International law firm Taylor Wessing has revealed its autumn retention score. Of the 23 trainees due to qualify later this year, 21 will be taking up newly qualified (NQ) positions at the firm. With one associate-to-be on a fixed term contract, this hands the 32-office-outfit a score of 87% or 91%, depending on how you read its figures. Taylor Wessing confirmed 21 rookies received offers. The firm’s new lawyers will be spread across a number of its key practice areas including, banking & finance, corporate technology, private client and real estate. Legal Cheek’s Firms Most List shows that Taylor Wessing’s newest recruits will see their pay jump from a second-year trainee salary of £44,000 to an NQ one of £63,000 — an uplift of 43% or £19,000. First-year trainees currently earn a salary of £40,000. Today’s result is a vast improvement on Taylor Wessing’s 2017 result. On that occasion, the top-rated technology practice posted a disappointing score of just 62% (16 out of 26). The firm, which offers up to 24 training contracts annually, reported scores of 77% (17 out of 22) in 2016 and 87% (20 out of 23) in 2015. Taylor Wessing performed well in our Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey, scoring A*s for its quality of work, tech, canteen, social life and office. The firm also received A ratings for its training, peer support, partner approachability, work/life balance and perks. It went on to scoop the gong for ‘Best Social Life’ at our awards ceremony earlier this year. A host of firms have now revealed their autumn 2018 retention scores. Mayer Brown confirmed a result of 80% (eight out of 10), while magic circle duo Clifford Chance and Slaughter and May posted results of 77% (36 out of 47) and 86% (32 out of 37) respectively. Travers Smith confirmed a perfect score of 100% (21 out of 21), Shearman & Sterling recorded a rate of 85% (11 out of 13) and Burges Salmon chalked up an impressive 96% (26 out of 27). The post Taylor Wessing keeps 21 out of 23 autumn qualifying trainees appeared first on Legal Cheek. from https://www.legalcheek.com/2018/07/taylor-wessing-keeps-21-out-of-23-autumn-qualifying-trainees/ Criminal solicitor struck off for submitting false invoices to law firms to help fund cocaine habit7/31/2018 He issued 40 fake invoices of £100 each An experienced criminal solicitor who submitted false invoices for police station work to help fund his cocaine habit has been struck off. Dominic Ingle, who was admitted to the roll in 2011, had been working as a self-employed police station representative on behalf of firms in the Manchester/Lancashire area. In January 2017, Ingle was convicted of two counts of dishonestly making false representations. He was sentenced to seven months in prison, suspended for 24 months, and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work. According to a Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal judgment, the criminal law specialist submitted 40 “false and fraudulent claims” of £100 each to two different law firms over a three-month period, totalling £4,100. In a letter to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), Ingle said he had committed the frauds when business was slow and had used the cash to fund his cocaine habit. He told the tribunal he was “ashamed” of his “disgraceful behaviour” and that he had let down his family, friends and colleagues. Since the misconduct came to light, Ingle said he had been open and honest and was trying to put his life together without the class A drug. Ruling out a suspension, the tribunal said that Ingle “continued to present a potential risk to members of the public and the reputation of the legal profession, as it was not known what his current position was with regard to the cocaine issues.” Striking Ingle off the roll, the tribunal said it hoped he could go on to use the skills and experience he had acquired over the years for the benefit of society. He was also ordered to pay £1,000 in costs. The post Criminal solicitor struck off for submitting false invoices to law firms to help fund cocaine habit appeared first on Legal Cheek. from https://www.legalcheek.com/2018/07/criminal-solicitor-struck-off-for-submitting-false-invoices-to-law-firms-to-help-fund-cocaine-habit/ 96% and 85% Corporate duo Burges Salmon and Shearman & Sterling have posted strong autumn retention results. First up, Burges. The Bristol-based outfit confirmed that 26 of its 27 final year trainees had accepted permanent positions, handing it an impressive autumn score of 96%. The group of soon-to-be associates — made up of 13 women and 13 men — will qualify into a range of the firm’s key teams including construction and engineering; projects; corporate; real estate; banking; employment; dispute resolution; planning; pensions; and private client. Burges’ managing partner, Roger Bull, said:
Over the past five years, Burges has recorded an impressive average retention score of 94% — a solid 91% (20 out of 22) in 2014, 100% (24 out of 24) in 2015, 85% (23 out of 27) in 2016, and 100% (28 out of 28) in 2017. Legal Cheek’s Firms Most List shows Burges’ lot will start on a salary of £48,000. Meanwhile, Sherman has posted an autumn score of 85%. From a cohort of 13, the New York-headquartered player — which offers around 15 training contacts annually — confirmed that 11 have accepted newly qualified (NQ) positions. The new associates will be spread across a number of Shearman’s key practice areas including mergers and acquisitions; finance; tax; international arbitration; project development and finance; and antitrust. The outfit confirmed that of the 11 rookies staying put, two will be relocating to international offices in Abu Dhabi and Brussels. Shearman’s NQs will start on a very impressive salary of £105,000, while trainees currently earn £45,000, rising to £50,000 in year two. Matthew Readings, head of Shearman’s London office, said:
Today’s result is a notable improvement on the firm’s autumn 2017 score. On that occasion, it posted a result of 75% (13 out of 16). So what’s life like as a lawyer at Shearman and Burges? Well, in our Trainee and Junior lawyer survey, Shearman scored an A* for perks as well as As for quality of work and peer support. Meanwhile, Burges bagged A*s in categories including peer support, office and social life, and went on to secure the gong for ‘Best Law Firm Canteen’ at our awards ceremony earlier this year. The post Burges Salmon and Shearman & Sterling reveal strong autumn retention scores appeared first on Legal Cheek. from https://www.legalcheek.com/2018/07/burges-salmon-and-shearman-sterling-reveal-strong-autumn-retention-scores/ Anglia Ruskin law grad holds up sign at busy London station in bid to land training contract7/30/2018 He’s not the first An Anglia Ruskin University law graduate has taken to London’s streets in the hope of bagging himself some legal work. A sharply dressed Jordan De Leon was spotted at the entrance to London’s busy Liverpool Street station this morning dishing out copies of his CV. Holding a sign which explains that he is seeking “an entry level” legal job, an image of De Leon was posted on Twitter earlier today by a passing commuter.
Speaking to Legal Cheek, ex-personal trainer De Leon said: “The legal profession is an incredibly competitive market to break into and you can’t show your true self on paper — desperate times call for desperate measures. I hope to work in commercial property law, however, I’d happily consider other fields.” So did the wannabe lawyer, who graduated with a 2:1 in 2014, succeed in securing a job? He told us:
So surprised, in fact, that De Leon plans to it all over again tomorrow, this time outside Holborn Tube Station — an area of the City heavily populated by law firms. According to De Leon’s CV, which is now doing the rounds on Twitter, he studied law at A-Level and is currently working as “Yard Operative” at Pimlico Plumbers. De Leon isn’t the first solicitor hopeful to hit the streets in search of work. In 2015, Exeter law grad Aimran Alif (pictured below) was spotted holding a sign and handing out copies of his CV on the concourse of Liverpool Street station. Like De Leon, Alif — who graduated in 2013 and went on to complete the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and an LLM in Islamic Finance at BPP Law School — was seeking an entry level role. According to his LinkedIn he is now a freelance B2B business development consultant. Others to try their luck on London’s busy streets include Bilal Rauf, who studied law at UWE, and an unnamed De Montfort LLBer. Rauf was spotted outside Chancery Lane Tube station, while his mystery counterpart punted for Cannon Street. Rauf’s LinkedIn states that since February he has been working as a paralegal at Pinsent Masons. The post Anglia Ruskin law grad holds up sign at busy London station in bid to land training contract appeared first on Legal Cheek. from https://www.legalcheek.com/2018/07/anglia-ruskin-law-grad-holds-up-sign-at-busy-london-train-station-in-bid-to-land-training-contract/ Future pupil barristers endearing tweet about being called to bar 29 years after her mum goes viral7/30/2018 #Twinning An adorable tweet posted by a BPTC grad has gone viral. Emily Landale was called to the bar last week. In a tweet posted on Friday morning, which has since garnered 1,629 likes and 482 retweets, the aspiring barrister states that “yesterday was the most fabulous day, being called to the bar by the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple”.
What made the moment even sweeter for the 23-year-old was that this day marked “29 years and 363 days” since Landale’s mother had been called to the bar by the very same Inn. Landale’s mother was a practising barrister at Exchange Chambers before being appointed to the circuit bench in 2015. The two can be seen standing side by side in almost identical outfits above. Speaking to Legal Cheek, Landale said:
Meanwhile her mother tells us she “feels really proud and that although there are challenges facing the bar I think it’s a great career and one of the strengths is the legal community supporting each other”. Landale studied law with German law at the University of Sheffield, spending her third year abroad at a university in Berlin. Graduating in 2017, Landale went on to study the LLM which incorporates the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) at BPP Law School in Manchester. The aspiring barrister has also completed a handful of mini-pupillages, including one with Exchange Chambers. Landale will soon be commencing pupillage with Central Chambers in Manchester. Landale and her mother are by no means the first to set the familial trend in law. As we revealed last week, Love Island solicitor Rosie Williams comes from a family of lawyers. Other offspring of the law include New Court Chambers barrister Kathryn Blair, the daughter of former Prime Minister (and barrister) Tony Blair and leading silk Cherie Blair, and Lord Neuberger’s three children, all of whom are solicitors. The post Future pupil barrister’s endearing tweet about being called to bar 29 years after her mum goes viral appeared first on Legal Cheek. from https://www.legalcheek.com/2018/07/future-pupil-barristers-endearing-tweet-about-being-called-to-bar-29-years-after-her-mum-goes-viral/ Property specialist charged with two counts of perverting the course of justice A junior lawyer turned Labour MP has been charged with two counts of seeking to pervert the course of justice. Fiona Onasanya has said she “will be robustly defending” herself against allegations she lied about who was driving a speeding vehicle. The 34-year-old MP for Peterborough is due to appear at the Old Bailey on 13 August for a plea hearing. Her brother Festus Onasanya faces three counts of the same offence. According to BBC News, the commercial property law specialist is accused of attempting to pervert the course of justice by driving a vehicle in excess of the speed limit, falsely informing the investigating authorities that a third party had been the driver and enabling them, as a consequence, to avoid such prosecution and punishment. The incidents are said to have occurred on 24 July and 23 August 2017. During the July incident, Onasanya is alleged to have been driving — and during the August incident, her brother is alleged to have been driving. Onasanya studied law at the University of Hertfordshire before going on to complete the Legal Practice Course (LPC) at the College of Law (now the University of Law), according to her LinkedIn profile. She qualified in 2015 and has worked for a number of firms including Midlands outfit Howes Percival for six months and international outfit Eversheds (now Eversheds Sutherland) for three years. Taking to Twitter on Friday morning, Onasanya said she will be “robustly defending all these allegations”.
Onasanya was elected as Peterborough MP in 2017 with a majority of 607 following a shock win over Conservative MP Stewart Jackson. Comments on this article are closed for legal reasons. The post Junior lawyer MP ‘robustly’ denies lying about speeding appeared first on Legal Cheek. from https://www.legalcheek.com/2018/07/junior-lawyer-mp-robustly-denies-lying-about-speeding/ |
AuthorHi I am Alana Smith 35 years old living in New York. I am working as an assistant in local law office. I like to share legal news with people to educate them. Archives
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