Latest news
Survey: smaller law firms punching above their weight online
Eight of the ten most successful law firms at showcasing their expertise online and distributing it via social media fall outside of the UK’s top 50, even though as a whole there is a lot more that large firms can do to improve their standing on Twitter, new research has found.
BSB eyes loosening constraints on design of both BPTC and pupillages
The Bar Standards Board has said that there is no need for the Bar Professional Training Course to be delivered as “one, integrated course”, and is also set to give chambers and employers more freedom to design pupillages.
New lender launches first panel limited to Conveyancing Association firms
A new buy-to-let lender, Fleet Mortgages, has created the first law firm panel made up only of members of the Conveyancing Association. CA chairman Eddie Goldsmith said he had held talks with others about a similar move.
Lawyers using libel threats to “intimidate” clients who post negative reviews online
Lawyers are increasingly using threats of libel action to intimidate clients into taking down negative reviews from comparison websites, it was claimed yesterday by a member of the Legal Services Consumer Panel.
Put duty on all legal services regulators to promote economic growth, says SRA
All the legal services regulators should under a new duty to “have regard to the desirability of promoting economic growth”, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has said. They should also appoint small business champions.
Court Appeal overturns ruling that law firm wrongly paid out £2.3m from client account
The Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court decision that a Sussex law firm wrongly paid out £2.28m it had received from a group of investors in what turned out to be a doomed airport investment scheme.
Survey reveals poor morale of public sector lawyers
Fewer than half the lawyers in central and local government are satisfied with their jobs and only a third with their pay, research by the Law Society has revealed.
First ABS attached to a barristers’ chambers launched in Liverpool
Liverpool-based 7 Harrington Street Chambers has launched what is believed to be the first alternative business structure attached to a barristers’ chambers. It opened for business last week, with three barristers and 7HS practice director as its directors.
Morgan Stanley’s Quindell hokey cokey – you put your money in, then take it out
Morgan Stanley has dumped Quindell stock just four days after becoming the alternative business structure’s second largest shareholder, it has emerged. Quindell’s shares jumped on Monday after announcing that it had taken a 5.03% stake.
LeO receives almost 1,000 CMC ‘contacts’ in first three weeks
The Legal Ombudsman has received just under 1,000 consumer ‘contacts’ about claims management companies in its first three weeks of complaints handling, it has emerged.
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.
