Expert Witness Legal News – page 15

What would happen if there were no new customers?

Mario Dolcezza - Diciamo 2 A COMPANY that helps businesses nationwide improve their customer service is this month (September, 2011) urging solicitors to consider what they would do if they had no new customers.

Diciamo says that during the current economic climate, the legal industry needs to concentrate on how it is to survive and prosper, particularly when it comes to retaining customers.

Mario Dolcezza, Customer Service & Loyalty Expert at Diciamo, explained: “In difficult times it is harder than ever to predict how many new customers businesses can attract, so they need to focus on their current clients and their experience.

Millions wiped from workers' pensions

Falling stock markets and annuity rates have wiped millions of pounds off workers' pension funds.

The FTSE100 has fallen by 15pc since May and new research from Aon Hewitt, the pensions consultant, shows it is having a devastating impact on the projected income of workers saving in company defined contribution pension (DC) schemes.

In its latest DC index tracker report into the £500bn DC market, it said that a 30 year-old’s expected retirement income has fallen from £19,238 to £18,399 a year, since the market turmoil began three months ago.

The Supreme Court abolishes expert immunity

The Supreme Court has swept away the long standing immunity from suit afforded to expert witnesses in a 5 to 2 majority decision in Jones v Kaney1. The decision had been widely expected, given that advocate's immunity was removed in 2001.

The facts

Mr Jones was the victim of a road traffic accident. He was knocked off his motorcycle by a car driven by a drunk, uninsured and disqualified driver. As a result to the accident, Mr Jones suffered significant physical and psychiatric injury.

Small fall in reconviction rates

Proportion and frequency of reconvictions both in decline
The level of reoffending in Scotland is in decline, according to figures published today by the Chief Statistician.

Covering those who offended in 2007-08 and 2008-09, the data show a 1.7% drop in the two year reconviction rate (reoffending within two years of release from custody or imposition of a non-custodial sentence) from 44.1% for the previous year to 42.4% for the 2007-08 group, the lowest level observed since 1997-98.

Hidden assets in divorce story: Britain's top divorce lawyer comments

Almost half of family lawyers believe that those embroiled in 'big money' divorce cases are likely to conceal assets during proceedings following a key court ruling that prevents the use of secretly obtained documents in divorce cases.

Grant Thornton, the professional services firm, questioned 101 lawyers for its annual matrimonial study and found that 48 per cent believe that people were either definitely or probably likely to conceal assets as a result of a landmark Court of Appeal ruling last year. The ruling centred on the case of Lisa Tchenguiz, who has filed for divorce from her husband Vivian Imerman, a former owner of Del Monte foods.