Compliance & Regulation
Law firm named by LeO hits out at “egregious” decision
One of the law firms named by the Legal Ombudsman in the first three full findings it has published has described the decision to do so as “egregious”.
Chambers distances itself from barrister over aggressive tweets
Garden Court Chambers has distanced itself from comments made by a pro-Palestinian member, which included him telling one X user to “Get my name out of your mouth, fascist-Zionist scum”.
More consumers than ever choosing unbundled services
The proportion of consumers choosing unbundled legal services has hit its highest ever rate at just over a fifth, according to research for the Legal Services Consumer Panel.
LeO names firms “in public interest” as it publishes first full decisions
The Legal Ombudsman has published three of its final decisions in full for the first time, including the names of the firms involved, arguing that the move increases transparency.
Infected blood inquiry urges SRA to crack down on ‘no win, no fee’ offers
The head of the infected blood inquiry yesterday called on the SRA to tell solicitors that they should not be charging clients making a claim for compensation.
Paralegal rebuked for £1.85m payment error
A senior paralegal has been rebuked for wrongly requesting the release of at least £1.85m to a property developer which later went bust, leaving his law firm to repay buyers.
High-profile non-lawyer firm owner disqualified by SRA
The man who founded now-defunct Stobart Barristers and then bought two well-known criminal law firms has been disqualified from running a law firm in future.
Engine of change – Philip’s new role as he heads to SRA exit
The outgoing chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority has lined up his first non-executive role by joining the board of the Institute of the Motor Industry.
NDAs to cover up harassment and discrimination “will be void”
The government is to ban non-disclosure agreements covering harassment and discrimination unless the victim themselves asks for one.
Young barrister reprimanded for throwing bottle in bar
A barrister has been reprimanded following her conviction for throwing a bottle at another woman in a Nottingham cocktail bar.
Blog
The importance of benchmarking reports – and lessons on profitability
Regional firms reported the largest revenue growth this year (12%), outpacing their City counterparts. Yet many are not converting that growth into profitability.
Fixed recoverable costs: Sacrificing justice for predictability?
The extended fixed recoverable costs regime is failing to achieve its stated objectives. Instead of promoting fairness and efficiency, the rules are creating anomalies that undermine justice.
Expectations keep rising, so prioritise client experience
Law firms are facing growing pressure to place greater focus on client experience or risk falling behind in an increasingly competitive legal market.
