Latest news
Another barrier falls as Government Legal Service opens doors to chartered legal executives
The Government Legal Service has decided to open its lawyer job vacancies to fellows of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives for the first time. The first job being advertised is a £53,196 position as lawyer at HM Revenue & Customs.
“Taking the greed out of the legal market” – Pure Legal targets law firm acquisitions
The new legal business set up by the founder of Compass Costs – who became head of Quindell Legal Services after it bought Compass – is set to buy two law firms as it expands rapidly as part of a strategy to “take the greed out of the market” by going head to head with claims management companies and other work providers.
High Court stops disgruntled claimant pursuing lawyers in Hendrix case
The ghost of legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix loomed large in the High Court yesterday when a judge struck out claims against senior lawyers and imposed a civil restraint order on the claimant, in the latest twist of long-running litigation over his musical legacy.
Referral fees in criminal cases could lead to “arrest chasing”
Removing the ban on referral fees in criminal cases could lead to “arrest chasing” by solicitors, the Bar Council has warned, and result in “as much public opprobrium” as ambulance chasing. However, the Bar Council backed third-party accounts for solicitors.
SDT: insurance application errors “carelessness not misconduct”
Two partners have been cleared by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal of misconduct relating to errors and omissions in their firm’s application for indemnity insurance, and unusually were allowed to maintain their anonymity throughout.
Revealed: LeO staff will not be forced to repay “irregular” benefits
Staff working for the Legal Ombudsman will not have to repay hundreds of thousands of pounds of “irregular” benefits they received from their employer, it has been decided. Having sought advice from the Treasury Solicitor, its board agreed that “repayment should not be pursued”.
Law Society: “Piecemeal” SRA reforms could create “perverse incentives”
The Law Society has launched a sustained attack on plans by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to introduce third-party accounts, allow referral fees in legal aid cases and remove the requirement on firms to carry out reserved activities.
Lifting referral fee ban will give green light to “least ethical” solicitors
Ending the ban on referral fees in legal aid cases risks approving the practices of some of the solicitors’ profession’s “least ethical and least professional members”, barristers have claimed.
LeO set to consult on accepting complaints from third parties and clients of unregulated providers
The Legal Ombudsman is set to consult on allowing third parties to complain about lawyers in certain circumstances, it has emerged. It will also consult on establishing a voluntary scheme that enables unregulated providers to give their customers access to redress
Plant: CBE a recognition of SRA progress
Charles Plant, the former chairman of the Solicitors Regulation Authority, has described the award of a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List as “recognition” of the work done by the regulator during his tenure. Mr Plant, who is now retired, was cited for services to legal regulation and education.
Blog
Mazur: a symptom not a cause?
If Mazur is a symptom, what does it mean for the underlying health of our civil justice system: the ‘finest legal system in the world’?
Cross-generation collaboration: the key to in-house legal tech adoption
In-house legal function leaders will increasingly have to evolve their thinking on how to manage multigenerational teams containing differing levels of technological expertise.
AI and law firm risk – the view of professional indemnity insurers
In considering law firm applications for cover, many insurers will expect to see evidence of how firms are adapting to AI and preparing for the future.
