The essential guide to conduct, compliance and competence, and the Legal Services Act
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Lawyers Defence Group
Lawyers who help lawyers From time to time everyone experiences problems, and just because you are a lawyer does not mean you will necessarily know what to do or how to get help. Legal practice is a minefield of overlapping rules and regulations which can affect you whether you are a solicitor or a paralegal, [...]
America poised to embrace LDPs – but go no further towards ABSs
America last week moved a major step closer to introducing a version of legal disciplinary practices (LDPs), while ruling out multi-disciplinary practices. The American Bar Association has noted the “remarkable” growth of LDPs in England and Wales.
LSB gives green light to barristers joining ABSs
The Legal Services Board has approved changes to the Bar Code of Conduct that will allow barristers to become partners and employees of alternative business structures. The bar’s rulebook as currently drafted would prevents barristers from working for an ABS.
Over half of firms have lost or expect to lose work to non-lawyer competitors, says survey
Over half of all law firms have either lost business to a non-lawyer competitor or expect to in the future, a new survey from accountants Baker Tilly has revealed. Some 29% of firms with 25 partners or fewer had already lost business to a non-lawyer competitor, compared to 12% of larger practices.
The future of criminal legal aid practice? The one-stop shop barrister/solicitor LDP
It is “absolutely inevitable” that criminal legal aid practices will need to morph into a cross between a solicitors’ firm and barristers’ chambers, one of the founders of a groundbreaking firm in the north-east of England has claimed.
BSB unveils blueprint to become specialist regulator of advocacy businesses
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) will become a specialist regulator of entities providing advocacy services, if proposals set out today are approved. Under the plans, BSB-regulated entities could not have passive investors, would need a majority of managers who can practise as advocates in the higher courts, and could only have a maximum of either 10% or 25% of non-lawyer managers.
Weekly round-up: LDPs, complaints, PII, “heir hunters” and lawyer services v legal services
There is a lot to cram into this week’s round-up of other regulation and Legal Services Act stories on the web. First of all, we should direct you to Legal Futures Editor Neil Rose’s Guardian blog that just being part of the high street network should not be enough to protect law firms – access to justice cannot be judged purely by quantity.
Barrister named partner in LDP
Nicole Curtis has become one of the first barristers to become a partner in a legal disciplinary practice (LDP) after being made up by Penningtons. There are now 186 LDPs, which between them have 210 partners – 83 non-solicitor lawyers and 127 non-lawyers
