Latest News

Senior Costs Judge disallows budget overrun in landmark costs management ruling

the road of money

A social worker involved in the Baby P case faces a £300,000 shortfall in the costs she can recover over a successful libel claim against The Sun because there was no good reason to depart from the court-approved costs budget, the Senior Costs Judge has ruled.

May 17th, 2012

SRA scraps minimum salary for trainees

Charles Plant

The minimum salary for trainee solicitors will be scrapped on 1 August 2014, the board of the SRA decided yesterday, saying it is not the job of a regulator to control wages. Firms will be required to pay the national minimum wage of £6.08 an hour.

May 17th, 2012

Row erupts over call to clamp down on claims managers handling PPI work

George Osborne Delivers A Speech On The Future Of The British Economy

The British Bankers Association, consumer group Which? and Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert.com have called on the government to take urgent action to clamp down on the activities of claims management companies bringing payment protection insurance mis-selling cases.

May 17th, 2012

SRA set to delay COLP and COFA regime to 2013

2013 year calendar. January. Isolated 3D image

The Solicitors Regulation Authority is set to delay the compliance officer regime, it has emerged. The scheme for compliance officers for legal practice (COLPs) and for finance and administration (COFAs) was due to go live on 1 November.

May 16th, 2012

Legal Futures Blog

Scary Spice

Funny Businessman on White

At some stage in your career – probably many years ago – someone will have asked you to describe your perfect job or where you saw yourself in 10 years’ time. Maybe you talked earnestly about your burning desire to bring justice to the masses. More likely, you claimed that your ultimate goal was to be partner in the interviewer’s fine establishment. Chances are you didn’t say: “What I want, what I really really want, is to be a compliance officer for legal practice.” – Allison Wooddisse discusses what firms should include in a COLP’s job description.

May 14th, 2012