Latest news
Unbundling – a necessity for consumers or risk to professional standards?
The potential for unbundling legal services to help consumers – and particularly litigants in person – is to be examined in a research project being commissioned by the Legal Services Board and Legal Services Consumer Panel.
BSB anticipating hundreds of barrister businesses after receiving entity regulation green light
The Bar Standards Board has doubled its prediction of how many entities it expects to be overseeing by the end of 2015 after receiving Legal Services Board approval to regulate businesses.
Phone scams hit solicitors, with four firms losing £2m
Four law firms have recently lost £2m from their client accounts after falling victim to scammers who tricked them into disclosing bank security information over the telephone, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has warned.
Barrister convicted of CS gas offences disbarred after second disciplinary hearing
A barrister who successfully appealed the decision of a previous disciplinary tribunal was yesterday ordered by a new tribunal panel to be disbarred. He was originally disbarred for failing to disclose previous criminal convictions for possessing CS gas and wilfully obstructing the police.
Exclusive: ABSs and other ‘NewLaw’ businesses form lobbying group
The first body to represent alternative business structures and other new-style legal practices has been launched, Legal Futures can reveal. The ABS & NewLaw Advisory Council is chaired by Jenny Beck of Co-operative Legal Services.
Investors target legal entrepreneur after stint on The Apprentice
Solicitor entrepreneur Lauren Riley has described how she has met venture capitalists and tech companies interested in her legal app after appearing in the BBC1 show The Apprentice.
Client or customer? We need a new label, says Mayson
Client, consumer or customer – no single label can describe the relationship that now exists between people and their legal services providers, Professor Stephen Mayson has argued – having previously thought that it was a distinction without a difference.
March of the accountants, part 3: EY gains ABS licence
The march of accountancy firms into legal services took a further step today when EY announced it had obtained a license from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to set up an alternative business structure.
LSB may end SRA monitoring as turnaround time for ABS applications improves
The average time taken by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to approve alternative business structure applications has fallen to an average of three months, it has emerged. As a result the Legal Services Board may end its formal monitoring of the authority’s progress.
Report: artificial intelligence will cause “structural collapse” of law firms by 2030
Robots and artificial intelligence will dominate legal practice within 15 years, perhaps leading to the “structural collapse” of law firms, a report predicting the shape of the legal market has envisaged.
Blog
Amplifying reach through employee-driven thought leadership
Nine in 10 executives believe thought leadership is critical to building authority, yet only a quarter feel they have implemented a robust strategy.
Divorce escrow: asset sales before final settlement
When significant matrimonial assets are sold before a final financial order is agreed, holding the proceeds safely and neutrally can present real practical challenges.
AML lacks clarity – and standards are suffering
If firms are buckling under the pressure of AML regulations, subject to ever-increasing fines, then something is clearly not working as it should be.
