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“Steps must be taken” to find out why the cost of legal services is increasing, despite the changed market and “great number of providers”, the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas, has said.

There is an increasing risk of law firms failing to have adequate systems and controls to prevent, detect and report money laundering and terrorist financing, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has warned.

He has been sued 18 times in relation to the website he founded, and lost each time, but now Rick Kordowski, the man behind SolicitorsFromHell.co.uk, has recorded an unexpected High Court win.

Users of the civil legal aid telephone gateway who sought face-to-face advice “often did so out of preference as opposed to need”, a review has suggested.

The Bar Standards Board has turned to the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives to provide training to members of staff without legal qualifications. Meanwhile, ILEX Professional Standards – CILEx’s regulatory arm – is on the hunt for a new chief executive.

Business consultancy Assure Law has acquired a majority stake in HighStreetLawyer.com, the network of small firms, and plans to expand it substantially.

The first lawyer to be ‘named and shamed’ by the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) for a series of complaints has argued that he is only “trying to adapt to new market forces”.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has rejected a proposal by the Law Society to extend the additional indemnity run-off cover provided by the Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF) for a further three years until 2023.

Sir Michael Pitt, chairman of the Legal Services Board, said yesterday that he wanted to present the new government after next year’s general election with an agreed “range of options” for the future of regulation.

There is a “distinct advantage” in having a Lord Chancellor from a “legal or constitution background” but it is not essential, the House of Lords constitution committee has concluded following its investigation into the role.