Credit crunching The Big Apple!

The lucky staff at JS Miller and Geoffrey Miller solicitors in Manchester have defied the credit crunch having just returned from their annual Christmas party in NEW YORK!

Senior Partner of both firms is Jeanette Miller. She explains why she is prepared to go to such lengths and expense to give her teams such an amazing Christmas do. “I have a great team who I want to keep and reward for excellent work. I promised this trip at the beginning of the year, it has maintained morale and motivation in the office.”

Jeanette comments, “Working for one of the country’s busiest motoring law firms is often an extremely stressful job and we need to help relieve that stress and keep the team motivated. It is vitally important for us to retain our talent here in Manchester and we want to do this in an imaginative and fun way. We include everyone in these activities and there is no differentiation based on a person’s role at the firm.”

Amazing Christmas trips aren’t the only thing the JS Miller and Geoffrey Miller teams are treated to, earlier in the year  a ‘chill-out’ area was installed in their offices equipped with a TV and Playstation for everyone to use. Not only that a fully trained masseuse visits the office regularly to provide stress relieving massage.

We’re told that New York was such an amazing trip that, credit crunch permitting, the Xmas do for 2009 will be equally as extravagant. Next year the team has indicated they want some sunshine in place of the sight-seeing so it looks like Dubai is a favourite contender!

Anyone tempted to send in their CV?

For more information please visit www.geoffreymillersolicitors.co.uk  and www.jsmillersolicitors.co.uk.

Ends

Team Mochester raise over £1200 by growing Moustaches!

A group of normally quite serious Manchester businessmen have been growing Mo’s as part of Movember, an annual moustache growing charity event held during November in support of the Prostate Cancer Charity.

The group, supported by BNI Bridgewater networking group called themselves Team Mochester. They joined thousands of men worldwide in growing comedy facial hair to raise cash. By Sunday night (30/11/08) after four weeks of serious Mo cultivation the team was sporting outrageous 70’s rock star moustaches.

Steve Morton Chapter Director of BNI Bridgewater, “I’m really pleased with the £1200 we’ve raised as it hasn’t been an easy task! Attending important meetings with this handle bar Mo has been quite embarrassing, plus I don’t think my staff could take me seriously. However it’s been a bit of fun while supporting an excellent cause.”

On Monday morning (1/12/08) the Team Mochester WAGS all breathed a sigh of relief as their husbands and partners returned to their former clean shaven selves. Rather unsurprisingly not one member has decided to keep his Mo!

Anyone interested in networking with the BNI Bridgewater group is welcome to visit one of their unhairy weekly meetings. They meet on a Thursday at 7am at the Campanile Hotel on Regent Road. 

Compulsory phone tapping

From March 2009 it will be obligatory for many companies in the financial services industry to record their phone calls.

This is to detect and deter any inappropriate behavior and market abuse, raise standards, but more importantly these recordings will provide evidential proof of conversations often required by insurance and financial professionals.

These changes in the FSA guidelines will mean hedge fund managers, stockbrokers, dealers, traders and insurance brokers will all have to record their calls. 

The Medical Protection Society is also recommending that health service professionals start recording their calls. Audio transcripts prove what medical advice was given, preventing costly disputes and litigation.

If your business is going to be affected by these changes you will need to ensure that your offices are equipped with the correct call recording solution by March 1^st 2009. Liberty Bell Voice and Data offer a variety of call recording devices. Managing Director Warren Bone comments, “We can provide a very cost effective single recording unit (on a per handset basis) to a more sophisticated multi line recording device which blanket records all incoming and outgoing traffic.”

Warren explains that call recording can be easy to integrate and the cost has dropped significantly in recent years,  “Historically it’s been out of reach for many smaller business’ both financially and in terms of the technology involved, but now a lot of people are pleasantly surprised at how affordable and easy it is to implement. Dependant on the size of the solution and the integration needed, it can take anything from a few working days, to up to six weeks for solutions that need to be built and modified away from site.” With March 1^st just over eleven weeks away it’s time to start planning.

For more information go to, www.lbvd.co.uk. 

Say good bye to shaving rash.

Few things are more embarrassing on your face than shaving rash or in-growing hairs, so Max Skincare has created a product which actually prevents it.

If you have problematic or sensitive skin, you will really benefit from Max Skincare’s Self heating shave balm. It’s a truly unique skincare product, which generates an instant burst of heat when applied to the skin, which relaxes and opens the pores and softens the hair to help you enjoy the most comfortable, cleanest and closest shave ever. It protects against in-growing hairs and razor burns, leaving your skin feeling incredibly smooth and amazingly clean. 

The range features four straight forward products, perfect for no nonsense men who want to look after their skin. There is active face wash, hot face scrub, self heating shaving balm and cooling moisturising crème.

The Max Skincare range has also proved very popular with ladies who have cottoned on to the extremely close shave the shaving balm provides. (We haven't asked where they're shaving!)

The Max Skincare range is quite simply a no nonsense, must have, set of products for people who care about their skin.

More information can be found online at www.maxskincare.co.uk

Manchester Solicitor won’t pay up.

Many practices now pay accident claims companies cash in return for personal injury cases. JS Miller is one of the very few who refuses to do so, however they do receive many cases from an unlikely source.

Senior Partner Jeanette Miller says, “Practices that purchase legal work often lose perspective of the person behind the case and the client is seen more like a number than an individual. We receive most of our work either by word of mouth or through our website.  However we have also been referred cases for the past decade from a local GP.”

Dr Caprio has been a general practitioner in Greater Manchester for more than fifty years. He often finds patients with either repetitive strain or personal injuries who could be entitled to compensation, so points them in the direction of JS Miller. Dr Caprio has never been offered or received a penny from JS Miller for referring patients, he says he does it because, “I know JS Miller is a firm people can trust and they have their clients’ best interests at heart.”

Dr Caprio explains, “Most patients who come to me who are suffering from a personal or repetitive strain injury, are unaware of their rights or what they are legally entitled to. I simply hand them the telephone number to JS Miller, it’s up to them to make the call. Most do, and are always extremely satisfied, while I am safe in the knowledge they are being well represented.”

Jahan Walton Celebrates its 3rd Anniversary

Jahan Walton, one of Warrington’s best loved restaurants has just celebrated its 3^rd Anniversary in spectacular style.

Guests were welcomed on Monday evening with a lavish Champagne reception, a delicious Indian buffet while being entertained by Bollywood Dancers.

The restaurant was packed with local business people from across the North West and loyal customers of Jahan Walton, as well as Cllrs.Graham Welborn and Mrs Elaine Welborn, the Mayor and Mayoress of Warrington.

Kath Thomson from Fresh Networking comments, “It was a fantastic night, the food was excellent and the Bollywood dancers certainly added the x-factor!”

It’s been an exciting few months for the Jahan Restaurant group, last month it opened its doors to a new branch of the Jahan in Burscough, Lancashire while the Walton Jahan has recently undergone a total refurbishment.

The event at the Walton branch was not a one off, the Jahan group holds regular events to thank customers for their continued support.

So with grand openings and anniversary celebrations and refurbishments, it’s exciting times for the Jahan Group.  

More information can be found online at www.jahangroup.co.uk

BNI Bridgewater grow Mos for Movember!

The breakfast networking group, BNI Bridgewater in Manchester city centre has formed team “Mochester” to support the Prostate Cancer Charity.

Movember is a moustache growing charity event held internationally during November. Team “Mochester” registered at the start of the week with clean shaven faces. They now have the remainder of the month to grow and groom their moustache while raising money and awareness for men’s health.

Steve Morton Chapter Director of BNI Bridgewater explains why he got the group involved, “There is always lots going on for women’s cancer charities but not much for men’s, even though every year about 35,000 men in the U.K. are diagnosed with prostate cancer and about 10,000 men die from of the disease. We wanted do something to raise awareness, also it’s a bit of fun while supporting an excellent cause.”

Anyone interested in seeing how the BNI Bridgewater team are ‘growing on’ are welcome to visit one of their weekly meetings. They meet on a Thursday at 7am at the Campanile Hotel on Regent Road. 

Paraben-free skincare

The entire Max Skincare range is Paraben free, perfect for the health conscious
 consumer.

Parabens are a group of chemicals used as preservatives and found in many skincare products. They are added to kill bacteria and prolong their shelf-life. Parabens have been linked to causing cancer, reducing men’s sperm production, causing the skin to age when exposed to UV light as well as causing skin irritations and allergic skin reactions.

The Max Skincare range is paraben free yet boasts all the male grooming essentials, such active face wash, hot face scrub, self heating shaving balm and cooling moisturizing crème. The products are completely different to anything else available in the UK. The self heating shaving balm actually heats up on the skin, this opens the pores and Softens the hair follicles, helping to provide an extremely close and clean shave without irritating the skin.

The Max Skincare range is suitable for sensitive skin, can actually help reduce shaving rash and prevent in growing hairs. All Max Skincare products are made in the UK, are free from preservatives, and have not been tested on animals.

More information can be found online at www.maxskincare.co.uk

Get James Bond’s latest gadget – The CG Lock

The CG-Lock is used in several dangerous stunt scenes in “Quantum of Solace”.

Top racing driver and one of the main stunt coordinators for the latest Bond Movie is Ben Collins. He says, "The CG-Locks were very useful for some of the challenging driving sequences, and you'll know why when you see the movie!"

As well as being used by Bond, one of the top car shows in the country also uses the CG-Lock. The Top Gear Live shows will be again using the device for all the stage show stunts.

So even though you may not have the Bond Aston Martin, you can have his latest accessory. This 007 gadget clips on to your existing seatbelt in minutes. It keeps you secure during demanding manoeuvres on track days, ensuring improved control, comfort and safety in your vehicle whilst guaranteeing better lap times. For everyday driving on the roads it prevents you from slipping into the poor posture that usually causes lower back pain and fatigue.

It’s quick and simple to fit and can be easily transferred from one vehicle to another, making it a car ‘essential’ at under £50 (with full money back guarantee*).

To order the CG-Lock call 08701 245 625 or visit the website www.cg-lock.co.uk for more information.

Movember

Finally, a unisex shaving product!

Let’s be honest, the best gifts are the ones you buy for others but get to use yourself! That’s why women everywhere are buying their man products from the Max Skincare range.

There is nothing like Max Skincare’s self heating shaving balm available in the UK. It actually warms up on the skin, which opens the pores and softens hair follicles, providing an extremely close shave. So while the guys are raving about what a great shave it gives them, us ladies are discovering it’s just as good when shaving our legs!

The man who invented the range, Roland Meli explains, “I initially created the Max Skincare products for men, but when my wife tried them was so impressed she started using them! Now more and more women are telling me how much they love them.”

Sexy Great Britain and Wigan Warriors Rugby star Stuart Fielden was unveiled recently as the face of the brand, and also admits his wife uses his Max Skincare products. He says, “My wife thinks its great because I buy them for me, then she gets to use them!”

The Max Skincare range also features: active face wash, hot face scrub, self heating shaving balm and cooling moisturizing crème. They are suitable for sensitive skin, made in the UK, free from parabens and preservatives, and have not been tested on animals.

More information can be found online at www.maxskincare.co.uk

Getting hot under the collar!

An amazing new product from Max Skincare which heats on contact with the skin, promises to change the face of shaving!

Max Skincare’s self heating shave balm has been hailed as one of the most innovative shaving products available in the UK. It actually warms up on the skin, which opens the pores and softens hair follicles, providing an extremely close shave. There is nothing else like it available in this country.

The Max Skincare range also features: active face wash, hot face scrub, self heating shaving balm and cooling moisturizing crème. They are suitable for sensitive skin, can actually help reduce shaving rash and prevent in growing hairs. All Max Skincare products are made in the UK free from parabens and preservatives, and have not been tested on animals.

The genius behind this unique shaving product is Roland Meli. He had his eureka moment three years ago when having a wet shave in a steam room. He decided all men should be able to experience that sort of high quality shave at home. So he started making his totally original idea of a self heating shaving balm into a reality.

Roland explains one problem existing users are finding with the range, “I created Max Skincare products for men, but those who have already discovered it, say their wives and girlfriends have realised that it also works fantastically on their legs!” So gentlemen a word of advice, hide your Max Skincare products before your other half gets to them!

More information can be found online at www.maxskincare.co.uk

Warrington restaurant group refuses to make a meal of credit crunch.

Escalating food prices are continuing to hit the UK hard. Supermarket prices are ever increasing, and dining out is becoming more expensive as menu prices increase. However, this is not the case at a restaurant group in Warrington, as its menu prices have been fixed for the past three years!

Customers at the Jahan restaurant in Walton, and The Village takeaway in Grappenhall are being given a welcome respite from the current economic woes. Both venues are part of the Jahan Group, which will soon be opening a third restaurant in Burscough, Lancashire. The group has refused to pass on the price hikes it incurs as the cost of staple ingredients soar, and have managed to keep the prices of the dishes on their menu consistent for three years running.

This is quite astounding when according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) in the past year food prices in Britain have risen by 9.5 per cent. This is more than twice the government's inflation rate, and four times more that the increase in the previous 12 months. Separate figures from the BRC show that the rise in the price of fresh food, meat, dairy products, fruit and vegetables, was even higher at 10.8 per cent in the last 12 months.

So at time when the cost of living goes up and people make sacrifices, the price of a meal at the Jahan restaurants remains the same. The reason behind this is to show appreciation to customers for their loyal trade, ensuring they won’t have to sacrifice dining out or treating themselves to a takeaway.

www.jahangroup.co.uk

Warrington’s, Jahan restaurant in Walton is not closing down despite some crazy rumours!

You may have heard that Jahan is closing and being replaced by a housing estate, but do not fear it is NOT happening. In fact Jahan is better than ever having undergone a major refurbishment. The restaurant now boasts new carpeting throughout, a redesigned bar area, and new decor offering customers a delightful ambiance to dine in.

Jahan on Chester Road is regarded by many as one of the best Indian Restaurants in the area, and will soon celebrate its 3rd birthday.

The team at Jahan are delighted with the new look of the restaurant. Serving the best food using only the finest ingredients is their priority, but they reached a point where they needed to refresh their appearance. There is now more flexible seating, which means Jahan can provide areas for meetings and parties. The main restaurant is now separated into cosy areas to make the dining experience at Jahan more intimate. The whole restaurant continues to have a modern yet comfortable feel.

So far Jahan’s makeover has received really positive comments from customers. But for those who haven’t seen its new look yet, the staff think you should come and check out the best face lift in Warrington!

www.jahangroup.co.uk

Guilty plea brings warning from AMOL president Jeanette Miller

A man has pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice at Court yesterday (24th September 2008). Abdul Moosa from Blackburn admitted to taking the rap for around 150 speeding offences he didn’t commit. He took money in exchange for admitting to speeding for other people. However, the police caught on to him and yesterday he pleaded guilty to the offence.

Jeanette Miller, President and Chief Executive of AMOL (The Association of Motor Offence Lawyers) and Senior partner of one of the country’s leading motor defence firms, Geoffrey Miller Solicitors, says that it is surprisingly common for prospective clients of her firm to suggest that they nominate someone else in their place as a driver, knowing that it was not them who was driving, as a means of avoiding penalty points. She says “many people do not realise the very severe consequences of such a tactic if discovered by the police.”

Jeanette explains “we would always advise against nominating someone else as the driver or saying you are not sure who the driver was. Misleading the police is classed as the very serious offence of perverting the course of justice. It carries a prison sentence as its penalty and is an offence of dishonesty which could have far reaching consequences for anyone. Penalty points are not without their own consequences but would not prevent you from getting a visa to enter the USA or prevent you from performing your professional role or getting a new job. A spell in prison for a dishonesty offence is a completely different matter.”

“People who do this clearly bank on the fact that the photograph taken of their vehicle, will not be clear enough to identify the driver. I am certain many spouses will “take points” for one another to balance out the number of points on a license. Usually the photograph taken by a speed camera is of the back of the vehicle. However, I have seen very clear photographs where the sex and approximate age of the driver is easily identifiable and I have no doubt if the police become suspicious of a nomination, they will investigate it thoroughly.”

“As solicitors, we are under a duty not to mislead the police or the court and so could never defend a client who falsely names a driver and put forward this false account to the court or the police, if we know this to be the case.”

“When these cases are exposed, the defendant will always be made an example of, to act as a warning and deterrent to anyone considering adopting a similar strategy.”

These stories highlight the extreme lengths some people go to, to avoid points:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6131826.stm
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/222/222597_driver_jailed_for_blowing_up_speed_camera.html
http://www.lincolnhse.co.uk/generic.aspx?pageUniqueKey=news&instanceId=12

There are many legitimate and lawful ways to defend prosecutions for motoring offences and it is crucial any driver seeks advice from an expert at the earliest stage.

AMOL was set up to defend the consumer from those who claim expertise that they don’t possess. Unfortunately, AMOL has seen an explosion of firms of solicitors claiming expertise in this field of technical law, often with no discernible track record and sometimes peddling advice that could land a motorist in Prison with a dishonesty conviction.

Hundreds of speeding convictions could be thrown out of court

Motorists being prosecuted for speeding offences may now have their cases reviewed, following a ground breaking ruling last week. It revealed a handheld laser device used by police to monitor motorists breaking the speed limit, hasn’t undergone the required Home Office checks. Therefore it can’t be used as proof of speeding in court.

Mr. Colin Mattey, a senior Director at British Telecom was accused of driving at 46 mph in a 30mph zone in Birkenhead on 25^th May 2007. He contacted Jeanette Miller, Senior Partner at motor defence specialists Geoffrey Miller Solicitors to represent him, adamant he hadn’t broken the speed limit. Mr. Mattey insisted the speed alleged by the officer in the case was simply wrong.

The case concluded at Wirral Magistrates’ Court on 24^thSeptember 2008. District Judge Sanders ruled that the Unipar SL700 used to measure Mr. Mattey’s alleged speed was not Home Office Type Approved, and therefore there was insufficient evidence of speeding to convict him. Mr. Mattey’s innocence was upheld, and he was acquitted due to the huge hole in the technical evidence of the case.

There are over 40 type approved devices used to measure speed on the UK’s roads by the Police. Type approval means that the Home Office has approved the use of the device for the purpose of speed detection and evidence in any subsequent prosecution. Type approval involves a rigorous testing process and can take years to achieve.

Calibration of speed is a specific requirement of annual calibration. The annual calibration is one of the main conditions of type approval for a device, and all other manufacturers of speed measurement devices provide this information on their calibration certificates. In this case it was found that there was no evidence of speed calibration being performed as required. Consequently the speed measuring device was uncalibrated. Therefore it could not be relied upon in a court of law, and without evidence of the speed measurement, the prosecution case failed.

The significance of the outcome of this case could be far reaching, and could affect every ongoing prosecution involving a Unipar SL700 in the country. This device has been referred to as the “Rolls Royce of speed detection devices,” and so this major omission in the calibration process will undoubtedly cause great embarrassment to Unipar and to ACPO and the Home Office.

Jeanette is aware of several ongoing cases involving her own clients, and expects the Crown Prosecution Service to review all such cases in the coming weeks. It may also possible for convicted motorists to seek to have their own cases reopened.

Anyone seeking advice about an ongoing case involving the SL700 should contact the team at Geoffrey Miller Solicitors on freephone 08000 85 27 84.

The credit crunch gets legal

The economic climate is causing solicitors who usually practice in criminal law, to take on motoring cases even though they lack sufficient expertise.

As a result of the credit crunch, amongst other sectors of the legal profession, general criminal solicitors are suffering. This is partly due legal aid work, which is commonly undertaken by general practitioners being streamlined and poorly paid. A net result is that many are branching out into motoring law as it’s seen as a lucrative area. However, although criminal law and motoring law have the same procedural rules, beyond that they are poles apart.

Jeanette Miller is the Senior and Managing Partner at Geoffrey Miller, one of the leading motoring law firms in the country. She has noticed, “Many criminal solicitors are finding themselves in financial difficulty, and some see motoring law as a profitable way to fill the gap. This is potentially problematic as motoring law is an extremely complex area of criminal law, involving technical defences that only a true expert can successfully identify, understand and argue before a court. Although many general criminal lawyers are capable of dealing with a very straight forward factual motoring defence, the vast majority of general criminal lawyers do not have the expertise to employ the tactics and knowledge that is gained through years of experience specialising solely in this field. It is a little bit like a GP professing to be an expert in brain surgery. They will know a little bit about brain injury and disease, but would never go as far as to call themselves experts in this specialised field.”

Jeanette is also concerned about what appear to be copycat versions of the Geoffrey Miller website that keep popping up. Even more of a concern over recent months is a new breed of what Jeanette calls, “Claims Farmers for motoring offences,” which seem to have emerged. It is difficult to spot them as their sites are similar to those of true experts. She explains how they operate, “People with motoring prosecutions contact these websites and register their cases, solicitors then buy their cases off the people who run the site. It’s very worrying that any solicitor would see fit to buy motoring cases. Solicitors working with such organizations can claim expertise in this field of technical law, but many are without a discernible track record, and could be peddling incorrect advice that could have disastrous consequences. For example, the site http://www.motoroffenceadvice.co.uk/compliance.php looks and reads well and the consumer would have no idea that the people behind the site, RedMag Media Limited are based in Ireland and are not solicitors. They are merely a marketing company selling on the enquiries they receive from the site. It would appear that they would have no way of telling how qualified or suitable the solicitors to whom they sell the enquiries may be.”

She adds, “I have never and will never buy motoring cases from a website. I think it is completely wrong and I think the professionalism and integrity of anyone who does is questionable. Motoring cases are still criminal matters and the “claims farmer” culture which arose from the blame and claim era started by the infamous and now ruined company, “The Accident Group” simply should not be applied to this area of law. I suspect the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Law Society will have similar concerns about solicitors who choose to work with such organizations.”

Those now seeking a lawyer to defend them in a motoring case must be extra vigilant that the person they choose to represent them has the knowledge and experience they claim to have.

For more information www.geoffreymillersolicitors.co.uk