Is google ruining the legal information resources in it’s index ?

Online legal resources, like almost everything else online, provide an excellent free resource. Legal information historically had been the preserve of weighty legal tomes, almost indicipherable to someone not a trained and experienced lawyer, but the importance of the internet as a marketing tool has changed everything.

Many law firms have realized that the internet is an incredibly powerful and important way of communicating with potential clients. Those potential clients are generally not all that interested, if at all, in in-depth academic explanations of law or the latest legal nuance or case. Typically, those searching on the web for legal information want an overview, a guide which enables them to gain some understanding of the topic or the legal issue they are facing, whether this may, for example, relate to a situation where they are an employee with a possible unfair dismissal claim, a business which needs a shareholder agreement or you have lost a relative and need to apply for probate.

There are now a wealth of excellent resources on the web along the above lines, which are really helpful to non-lawyers and enable them to make more informed choices. So what’s the problem ?

Google is the dominant force in search, with over 90% of the market, and, as things stand, no viable challenger. As those who follow search engine marketing will know, google has gone on the rampage over the last 3-4 months, downgrading many thousands of sites due to what it claims is an attempt to clean up the web from spam. Many doubt this explanation – by shaking up the search results so much,  with many sites penalised, this has the result of these sites that have lost traffic deciding to do more pay per click, and who benefits from that – google !

The problem is, as we see it, watching the legal search results daily, that for many legal search terms, google search results have regressed or deteriorated hugely in the last few months. It has replaced and downgraded many of the better sites, albeit some of which have not stuck strictly to google’s rules, and replaced them with largely academic results, which google trusts more, simply because they are academic institutions.

The above is disappointing – google should sort this out out it many well start losing some of it’s domination if it’s search results remain so poor.

This is a guest post from My lawyer online legal services.

In an extraordinary recent development, a well known and respected company director has encouraged his staff to break the law. This raises many moral and legal issues, and we would also have thought the potential of personal liability for the individual in question, not just corporate liability.

Bus lanes are not limited to buses. Cyclist, motorcycles and taxis (black cabs) are all permitted to use them. Normal vehicles are permitted to use some bus lanes during certain hours, which are marked before the bus lane and at certain points throughout the lane. If there is no sign then it usually means that the bus lane is in operation constantly. Continue reading →

Get 100,000 e- signatures on a Petition to Government

A new website enabling the public to lodge a petition to the Government electronically online has gone live. The plan is that a petition which gets 100,000 supporters ought to result in a debate on that issue in Parliament

Apparently, Government departments will moderate the petitions, with oversight from the office of the leader of the commons.

We wonder whether the system might be hijacked by people using it to sell petition votes like “likes” on facebook ?

Complaints to the Legal Ombudsman

In the latest report from the Legal ombudsman, the “usual suspects” were present in terms of the makeup of complaints, which were as follows :-

• Conveyancing accounted for over 20% of investigations
• Family law came second with just over 19%
• Next comes wills, at just over 13%
• Litigation complaints made up just over 10%
• Making up the other largest categories were personal injury and employment law
• More complaints were received based on alleged failure to provide advice than on excessive fees or delays

The report discloses that nearly 3,800 complaints were investigated out of a total of over 38,000 complaints received.

Interesting case in the employment tribunal

A recent case in the employment tribunal perhaps highlights 2 important points for employees who are having problems at work. Of course, such situations are difficult for both employers and employees and they can all too easily become very personal. What can easily happen in these situations is that :-

1. The employee makes themselves unmanageable and back themselves into a corner, this can result in the employer having ultimate grounds for dismissal as long as the employer complies with suitable process and acts within the range of reasonable responses. The employee may become hostile in these circumstances to colleagues or bosses and may lodge repeated complaints as the employee becomes increasingly agitated and frustrated.
2. As a corollary to the above, post dismissal, whether by constructive or unfair dismissal, there is a tendency to make as many claims as possible in the employment tribunal, particularly due to the no costs rule in the tribunal i.e regardless of who wins or loses each aspect of the case there are no legal costs implications in terms of being ordered to pay the opponent’s costs except for exceptional cases. Consequently, many employees will claim for discrimination and other possible employment claims aside from unfair dismissal. This tactic can sometimes backfire, giving the employment tribunal a certain impression of an applicant.

In the particular case in question, Electrical engineer Bijan Zakeri worked for Tyne & Wear Metro owner Nexus for 28 years until retiring on ill health grounds in February last year. He alleged negative treatment from bosses and colleagues after he raised concerns about safety, maintenance and machinery training. He also claimed constructive dismissal and disability discrimination against Nexus – allegations the organisation disputed. The Tribunal found that the dispute with the former employer had become an “obsession”. He did succeed on certain claims, but this case is an example perhaps of the above as the tribunal commented that his obsessive and nitpicking approach to his duties and those of others, made him virtually impossible to manage.