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10 October 2014 / Dr Jon Robins
Issue: 7625 / Categories: Features , Legal services , Profession , Wills & Probate
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Waiting for Superman

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Jon Robins questions whether all publicity is good publicity

It is probably fair to say of all the extensive superhero family, “Will Power” must surely rank as one of the more forgettable members. For readers who cannot remember or else choose to forget, this was a cartoon character used to promote “Make a Will” week in 1991. A lawyer’s version of the Green Cross Code man, if you will.

Solicitors zipped themselves into turquoise and white Lycra bodysuits and hung around supermarkets in the admirable aim of raising awareness of the dangers of intestacy. An admirable cause. However Will Power proved so detested by the profession that the Law Society’s head of communications received hate mail from mortified probate solicitors.

Media campaigns

It is probably uncontroversial to say that Chancery Lane has a somewhat chequered history when it comes to media campaigns to promote the services of its members. That its latest campaign (“Use a Professional. Use a Solicitor”) has not provoked controversy within its membership or derision on the part of the public or politicians should be regarded as

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

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Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees

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NEWS
A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land
Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee
Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE
The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London
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