Latest news
Law Society sets out groundrules for offering unbundled services
There is a wide range of practice areas where solicitors can offer unbundled legal services, from actions against the police to civil litigation, the Law Society has suggested. It said firms could also use paralegals to act as McKenzie Friends in court.
MoJ faces more cuts as government promises to improve SME access to legal services
Further cuts loom at the Ministry of Justice next year under government spending plans announced in yesterday’s Budget. But the government also promised to improve education for SMEs on legal services.
SRA investigates two firms amid indemnity insurance concerns
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is investigating two law firms which it said should have closed at the end of last year, having failed to find indemnity insurance.
No evidence of regulatory risks from online divorce, research finds
There is no evidence of online divorce leading to regulatory risks, joint research by the Legal Services Board and Legal Services Consumer Panel has found. The report found high levels of satisfaction with face-to-face legal advice (79%) and online (83%).
Bankrupt barrister subject to five-year restrictions order
A barrister from Essex has been given a five-year bankruptcy restrictions order for neglecting his business affairs. Such an order is made on application to the court if the Official Receiver considers that the conduct of a bankrupt has been blameworthy in some other way.
Lawyers grumble about PC fees without knowing what they’re paying for, survey reveals
Many lawyers, particularly solicitors and barristers, complain about their practising certificate (PC) fees, but there are high levels of ignorance about what they are paying for, a major cost of regulation survey has found.
Facing a Bar disciplinary tribunal? The odds are increasing that you’ll be disbarred
A third of Bar disciplinary tribunals last year led to disbarment, nearly twice the proportion of 2013, the Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service’s (BTAS) annual report has shown.
QC status “should be extended” beyond barristers and solicitors
QC status should be available to all advocates appearing in the higher courts, whether or not they are barristers or solicitors, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has said. It also reiterated its call for re-accreditation and ongoing competence checks for those with the mark.
Fairpoint “has platform” for further law firm acquisitions
Fairpoint Group plc – which last year bought two law firms – said today that its financial success in 2014 has laid the foundations for further acquisitions. The AIM-listed business hitherto focused on ‘debt solutions’.
Law school ABS aims to provide paid-for advice to young entrepreneurs
Nottingham Law School, the first in the country to apply for an alternative business structure (ABS) licence, aims to offer young entrepreneurs a paid-for business advice service, it has emerged.
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.
