Smarter working
Tuesday, 15 June 2010At a time when firms need to move forward if they are not going to be left behind, fast-growing west country law firm Everys outlines the benefits of integrating case and practice management systems since going live with SOS Connect last year.
Posted in Technology
The new legal ethics
Wednesday, 19 May 2010Paul Gilbert, chief executive of consultancy LBC Wise Counsel, argues that the way the world has changed and will do in the future means lawyers need to reassess their ethical norms.
Posted in Regulation
Great expectations – just don’t exceed them
Thursday, 13 May 2010Paul Gilbert, chief executive of LBC Wise Counsel, argues that lawyers have been sucked into feeling the need to exceed expectations, when all clients want is for them to meet expectations. In fact, exceeding them could be bad for business.
Posted in Client care
Climbing out of the bunker
Thursday, 13 May 2010Paul Gilbert, chief executive of LBC Wise Counsel, says that firms can help themselves out of the recession by focusing on six key areas of business development
Posted in Marketing & PR
How much should you tell clients about PII?
Wednesday, 17 February 2010The Law Society has clarified to what extent solicitors should tell clients certain details about their professional indemnity insurance.
Tags: Law Society, professional indemnity insurance
Posted in Client care, Latest news, Practice Management
The legal profession and the sale of general insurance contracts
Tuesday, 16 February 2010Insurance mediation does not sound like the kind of thing solicitors do, but in fact many are involved in it and their knowledge of the rules around it are often sketchy. Alan Bannister of Vizards Wyeth outlines the main issues.
Tags: ATE insurance, code of conduct, compliance, FSA
Posted in Client care, Competence, Practice Management, Regulation, Solicitors
Ten For 2010: Top Ten Trends for Legal Outsourcing in 2010
Tuesday, 16 February 2010To address a profoundly changing legal landscape, law firms and corporate counsel are exploring new models for delivering legal services. One of the most compelling legal service delivery models will be outsourcing. Here are Fronterion’s Top Ten Trends for Legal Outsourcing in 2010.
Tags: legal process outsourcing, Legal Services Act, LPO
Posted in Practice Management
Survey: public thinks all will-writers are solicitors
Tuesday, 9 February 2010Two in three members of the public believe that all will-writers are trained solicitors, research by the Fellowship of Professional Willwriters and Probate Practitioners has shown.
Tags: unregulated providers
Posted in Latest news, Regulation
… as consumer panel calls on LSB to regulate probate and estate administration services
Monday, 19 March 2012Probate and estate administration services should become reserved legal activities, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has recommended. It follows the panel’s call last year for will-writing to be regulated as well, which sparked a formal LSB investigation into the issue.
Tags: estate administration, Legal Services Board, Legal Services Consumer Panel, probate, reserved legal activities, will-writing
Posted in Consumer panel, Latest news, Legal Services Board
… as Law Society calls on government to slash the LSB’s budget to stop it overstepping the mark
Tuesday, 10 April 2012The Legal Services Board should have its budget slashed so as to rein in its ambitions to move beyond a supervisory role, the Law Society has claimed. However, the SRA, CILEx and Council for Licensed Conveyancers have been more measured in their criticism.
Tags: Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, Council for Licensed Conveyancers, ILEX Professional Standards, Law Society, Legal Services Act, Legal Services Board, Solicitors Regulation Authority
Posted in Latest news, Legal Executives, Legal Services Board, Other lawyers, Solicitors
… as Liverpool law firm appoints top QC to lead shareholder action against Quindell
Friday, 26 June 2015The barrister acting for shareholders suing RBS and Tesco has been appointed as lead counsel for the potential group action being brought against Quindell. Your Legal Friend – the consumer brand of Liverpool firm Camps – has already registered more than 500 shareholders interested in joining the action
Posted in Latest news, Market monitor
… as LSB chair accuses Law Society and Bar of wanting to stifle competition
Wednesday, 11 December 2013The Law Society and Bar Council’s call for the government to return large swathes of regulation to them is self-serving and aims to restrict competition, the chairman of the Legal Services Board has claimed.
Tags: Bar Council, Law Society, Legal Services Board
Posted in Barristers, Latest news, Legal Services Board, Solicitors
… as Saga expands into fixed-fee private client services and bids for ABS status too
Wednesday, 3 October 2012Over-50s specialist Saga has today launched a new range of legal services which it claims aims to make the market “more straightforward in terms of charges, language and accessibility” – and has also applied for an alternative business structure licence.
Tags: ABS, Alternative business structures, conveyancing, fixed fees, legal expenses insurance, probate, will-writing
Posted in Alternative business structures, Latest news, Market monitor
… SDT issues unprecedented rebuke of SRA over Locke Lord case comments
Monday, 13 November 2017The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has made unprecedented public criticism of the Solicitors Regulation Authority over how it presented last week’s decision to fine US law firm Locke Lord a record £500,000. It accused the regulator of issuing “inaccurate and misleading quotations” to the media.
Posted in Latest news, Solicitors
‘ABS to the shires’ targets membership worth £13bn
Thursday, 19 September 2013An alternative business structure with access to clients with assets of more than £13bn has been launched by the Country Gentlemen’s Association, whose members who are mainly landowners, farmers, and retired military personnel.
Tags: ABS, Alternative business structures
Posted in Alternative business structures, Latest news, Market monitor
‘Cash for crash’ gang that used claims companies to “corroborate fraudulent claims” found guilty
Wednesday, 15 February 2017The trial of a large-scale ‘crash for cash’ gang which used accident management companies to funnel 111 fraudulent claims to 16 insurers has ended with five defendants found guilty of conspiracy to defraud, on top of seven who had already admitted their involvement.
Tags: personal injury
Posted in Latest news
‘Click and collect’ law firm eyes major expansion after ABS licence award
Wednesday, 24 April 2013A law firm offering ‘click and collect’ legal services plans to double in size after securing its alternative business structure licence. Leeds firm Winston Solicitors originated as an online-only legal practice from managing partner Jonathan Winston’s spare room 10 years ago.
Tags: ABS, Alternative business structures
Posted in Alternative business structures, Latest news, Market monitor
‘Cosmetic’ compliance – how do you look?
Thursday, 7 August 2014Brian Rogers addresses the issue that many firms are looking to play the ‘cosmetic’ game in compliance; waiting for a regulator’s visit letter before getting their house fully in order.
Posted in associate news
Blog
Automated justice: striking the balance in injury claims
No professional sector is immune from automation – even the law. However, the adoption of automated systems to settle routine injury claims raises a number of important ethical questions.
Conveyancers: are you afraid of outsourcing?
For many years, outsourcing has been seen as a bit of a scary prospect within the conveyancing sector. But thanks to the stamp duty holiday, conveyancers are now realising some of the many benefits.
You win some, you lose some – class actions post Google
In November, Google received two court rulings, through which it both closed and opened the door to class actions against it. So what do the decisions mean for future class actions?
Reports
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