Latest news
High-profile ABS owner cleared of wrongdoing over payments
The man who founded now-defunct Stobart Barristers and then bought two well-known criminal law firms, has been cleared of any wrongdoing around his business’s insolvency.
Conveyancers sign industry charter to speed up property process
Instructing a conveyancer when a property is listed is number one of an eight-point plan issued by a group of 23 leading organisations to speed up the home-buying process.
Family justice system “letting children and families down”
There are “unacceptably long delays” in the family justice system and the government is showing no urgency to deal with them, MPs have said.
Costs budgeting ‘lite’ pilots “may not save time or money”
The new costs budgeting ‘lite’ pilots may not save solicitors time or money, it has been claimed – but the deputy head of civil justice insisted that ways to reduce costs have to be tried out.
Acquisition and US ABS first for Lawhive after footballers invest
Consumer law platform Lawhive has said it will be looking for similar targets after buying fee-share law firm Woodstock Legal Services and setting up an ABS in the US.
High Court takes axe again to claimants’ Dieselgate budgets
The High Court has again taken an axe to the claimants’ costs budgets in the ‘Dieselgate’ group litigation, saying the lawyers have not fully learned the lessons from when it happened last year.
SDT makes order against Spanish lawyer after jurisdiction challenge
A former Spanish partner of City firm Ashurst has failed in a challenge to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal’s jurisdiction in assessing his inappropriate conduct towards two female colleagues.
Burford invests in consultancy as it eyes stakes in large law firms
Burford Capital has made a clear statement of intent to ramp up its investing beyond litigation by taking a minority stake in a UK consultancy that launches and helps manage law firms.
SDT clears newly qualified solicitor in “chaotic” firm
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has dismissed all allegations against a newly qualified solicitor working in “a chaotic operational and management structure”.
Women barristers “disproportionately affected” by new complaints rule
Women will be “disproportionately adversely affected” by plans to introduce mandatory reporting by barristers of any complaints barristers receive, the Bar Council has warned.
Blog
Why upfront information could transform home buying
The success of upfront property information will depend on more than simply making the information available.
AI risk: What law firms must now demand from vendors
AI systems ingest, transform, infer and generate. Treating them as equivalent to document storage or workflow tools is a category error.
Why mid-sized firms are the most interesting story in UK legal right now
Mid-sized law firms are facing a set of decisions about structure, technology and growth that will define where they sit in the market for the next decade.
Reports
Associates
