Latest news
Veyo gets off the ground with 80 firms
Veyo, the online conveyancing portal developed by the Law Society and IT giant Mastek, went live today with around 80 law firms taking part in the first phase. A much larger group of 1,800 firms which expressed an interest in the system will be able to join shortly.
Bogus lawyers jailed after targeting the elderly with asset protection scam
Eight people who pretended to be lawyers have been sentenced after scamming elderly people out of more than £500,000 in return for bogus asset protection trusts, with carrying out a reserved legal activity when not authorised one of the charges half of them faced.
Get solicitors to triage legal problems pro bono, says Law Society
Solicitors working pro bono could offer a triage system to people who cannot, or think they cannot, afford a lawyer so that they can understand their options for resolving legal disputes, the Law Society has told the new government.
Slater & Gordon clears final hurdle as FCA approves Quindell acquisiton
Slater & Gordon’s £637m acquisition of Quindell’s professional services division has cleared its final hurdle after regulatory approval was granted by the Financial Conduct Authority. The transaction is now unconditional and on track for completion “shortly”.
Judge castigates “by far the worst solicitor witness I have ever seen”
A judge has launched an extraordinary attack on “by far the worst solicitor witness I have ever seen giving evidence in the witness box”. Edward Abenson told Legal Futures that the judge was “very harsh” on him.
New-style legal offerings making their mark in the corporate world
New-style legal businesses continue to make waves in the City, with Lawyers on Demand (LOD) reporting strong annual results and Excello Law forming the first international alliance between “new-model dispersed law firms”. Meanwhile, Keystone Law has made waves with a daring publicity stunt in one of London’s busiest train stations.
Legal Services Board to develop diversity ‘success criteria’
The Legal Services Board has outlined its latest plans to improve the diversity of the profession, which will focus on developing ‘success criteria’ which regulators can use to judge their performance.
Lack of clarity on fees causes one in four complaints, major LeO survey finds
More than a quarter (26%) of complaints to the Legal Ombudsman are triggered by lack of clarity on fees, a major internal survey has found. Family law has emerged as the biggest offender, followed by wills and litigation.
SRA finally taken off report over way it handles ABS applications
The Legal Services Board has finally taken the Solicitors Regulation Authority off ‘report’ over how it is handling the approval of alternative business structures, with the number of licenses it has issued now topping 400.
Larger law firms switch to new SRA competence regime
A poll of larger commercial law firms has shown that a higher number than expected, around a quarter, have opted to introduce the new ‘hours-free’ continuing competence regime for solicitors.
Blog
Awaab’s Law phase 2: New hazards council tenants can now claim for
The conversation on housing disrepair is moving beyond damp and mould alone. With the rollout of phase 2 of Awaab’s Law, the scope of issues covered is expanding significantly,
Beyond PCP: Can regulators and lawyers work better together next time?
Nearly a decade after the Financial Conduct Authority began investigating the car finance industry, the story of the PCP commission scandal is still unfinished.
Accountability has to live within governance, not with one person
The assumption has long been that a COLP or COFA is personally exposed to the consequences of anti-money laundering breaches.
