Compliance & Regulation
Part of 13-firm Law Direct group saved in pre-pack sale
North London law firm Alexander & Partners has bought parts of the Law Direct group of 13 law firms in a pre-pack following its administration.
SRA’s unlimited fining power will apply to SLAPPs, minister confirms
A new power for the Solicitors Regulation Authority to levy unlimited fines in cases of economic crime will extend to SLAPPs, the government has confirmed.
SRA squandered “incredible potential” of ABSs, says Burford boss
The boss of the world’s largest litigation funder has accused the Solicitors Regulation Authority of squandering the opportunities offered by alternative business structures.
Law firms “must publish” fees for family and employment work
Law firms should have to publish their fees for family and employment work beyond unfair dismissal claims, Legal Services Consumer Panel has told the SRA.
Impact of solicitor’s misconduct on PII led to firm shutting down
A solicitor who lied to various clients about the progress of their matters caused so many claims against his firm that it had to close because of rising indemnity insurance premiums.
SRA rule change “does not stop law firms invoicing in advance”
Amendments to the Standards & Regulations will not stop law firms invoicing clients in advance and transferring the money into their office accounts, the SRA has said.
Solicitors sanctioned for putting wives’ interests ahead of client’s
Two solicitors who paid their wives to clean a vault under the terms of a trust they oversaw preferred their interests over those of the trust and its beneficiary, the SDT has found.
SRA intervenes in two law firm groups made up of 12 firms
The Solicitors Regulation Authority last week intervened in a group consisting of eight law firms after the primary business went into administration, as well as another group with four firms.
Big firms to assess impact of their advice on climate change
A group of eight major law firms have pledged to “understand the impact” of their advice on climate change and raised the possibility of not acting in matters that increase global warming.
GCHQ: Nation states and hacktivists pose cyber-threat to legal sector
Nation states and hacktivists are cyber threats to law firms in addition to criminals, the government’s National Cyber Security Centre as warned.
Blog
The new metrics for success in conveyancing
While technology has made much of the conveyancing process faster, there remains a practical limit to how many matters anyone can manage while still keeping standards intact.
The UK legal market is polarising – and the middle is disappearing
Consolidation and the boutique boom are not contradictory. They are the same market stretching apart at both ends – and it changes what your firm is worth, and to whom.
Conveyancing’s consistency problem is about pressure, not skills
When I qualified, a conveyancer had perhaps 10 or 12 plates to keep spinning. Today’s conveyancers have 20 or 30, and almost none of the room for error I had starting out.
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