Latest news
Osborne: Ministry of Justice to find extra £249m in “savings”
The Ministry of Justice is to find an extra £249m of “savings” this year as part of government measures to reduce public debt, the Chancellor, George Osborne, revealed today. This takes the budget cut at the MoJ this year to nearly £1bn.
SRA board backs radical changes to separate business rule
The Solicitors Regulation Authority approved a radical overhaul of the separate business rule at its board meeting yesterday, despite strong opposition from the Law Society. The changes are planned to come into force on 1 November this year.
Lawyers urged to play it cool with litigants in person
Solicitors, barristers and legal executives have been told by their professional bodies to be polite and non-judgemental when dealing with litigants in person (LiPs), and take “extra care to avoid using inflammatory words or phrases”.
Solicitor jailed for role in £4.3m land-banking scam
A solicitor has been jailed for five and a half years for his role in a £4.3m land-banking scam. Dale Walker was convicted of possessing criminal property and of aiding and abetting the carrying on of a regulated activity without authorisation.
Little interest from solicitors in third-party client accounts, survey suggests
Only 5% of solicitors would be interested in transferring their client accounts to a third party, a survey of firms in the south east has suggested. The SRA is consulting on whether to allow the move.
HMRC gives solicitors a week to ‘pay up or else’
HM Revenue & Customs has given solicitors a week to pay the tax they owe on undeclared income or “face hefty penalties” of 100% on the unpaid tax and the risk of a criminal investigation.
Express Solicitors buys 450 personal injury cases in pre-pack deal
Manchester-based Express Solicitors has bought 450 personal injury cases in pre-pack deal with a Cheshire sole practice. A spokesman for Express said Ashfields was now insolvent.
External investment the key to changing profession, former Law Society president says as firm becomes ABS
External investment rather than the number of alternative business structures is the key to changing the legal profession, a former president of the Law Society has said. Meanwhile, well-known ABS Knights has changed structure to retain more of its profit.
SRA mulls centralised assessment of would-be solicitors as City firm launches ‘earn as you learn’ qualification
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has begun work on developing a “centralised assessment of competence” that potential solicitors would have to pass to qualify, it has emerged. It comes as Mayer Brown became the first City law firm to unveil a six-year ‘articled apprenticeship’ programme.
Unique ABS aims to capitalise on push by Chinese companies to invest overseas
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has licensed a unique Chinese-owned alternative business structure targeting Chinese companies looking to invest abroad. It has been set up in association with Exeter-headquartered law firm Michelmores.
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.
