Latest news
East London ABS the first to specialise in Islamic finance
A British PhD student, a Polish accountant and a Brazilian lawyer have come together to form a unique alternative business structure, the first to specialise in Islamic finance.
BLP launches Streamline “process improvement” service
City law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner has launched Streamline, a “process improvement service” designed to cope with the legal challenges of big construction projects and complex or high-volume commercial litigation.
Former barrister and judge wins disbarment appeal
Rabi Sukul, a former barrister accused of drafting false grounds of appeal for a young criminal client, has won the right to a fresh disciplinary tribunal hearing on whether or not he should have been disbarred.
Court of Appeal throws out QASA challenge
The Court of Appeal today comprehensively dismissed four criminal law barristers’ challenge to the Legal Services Board’s approval of the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates. With the Master of the Rolls, Lord Dyson, giving the lead judgment, the court found that the scheme is lawful.
Top European debt purchaser buys specialist advocacy law firm
One of Europe’s largest debt purchasers has acquired a Welsh law firm that specialises in outsourced advocacy following the grant of an alternative business structure (ABS) licence by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Thought leadership: does it really have an impact?
Get any group of professional services marketeers together at the moment and the conversation quickly turns to thought leadership, that rather grandiose term some people use for the publications which litter (more of that later) the websites of most major law firms.
Urge to merge hits law firms across the land
A further series of mergers around the country have been announced as consolidation in the legal market continues to take hold. There is usually a rush of mergers each year timed to coincide with the 30 September deadline to secure professional indemnity insurance.
Fines for solicitors who ran SDLT avoidance schemes
Two partners of a former Yorkshire law firm have been fined by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for their involvement in stamp duty land tax (SDLT) avoidance schemes.
Tuesday deadline for uninsured law firms
Firms that have not secured professional indemnity insurance have until tomorrow to notify the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Despite the abolition of the single indemnity renewal date last year, 1 October remained the deadline for more than 90% of law firms.
SRA fines firm £2,000 for £2.5m stamp duty avoidance schemes
Leading Surrey firm Mundays has been rebuked and fined £2,000 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for using stamp duty land tax avoidance schemes which saved clients over £2.5m.
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.
