Latest news
SRA to end Law Society’s ‘Find a Solicitor’ monopoly
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to end the monopoly currently enjoyed by the Law Society’s ‘Find a Solicitor’ website, by making the data behind it available to commercial comparison sites. It is also to set up own “online regulatory register” for the public.
Knowledge gap between lawyers and consumers “narrowing all the time”
The “traditionally wide” knowledge gap between lawyers and consumers is “narrowing all the time”, Canadian futurologist Jordan Furlong told delegates at this week’s Legal Futures Annual Conference.
SRA in touch with Quindell on “regular basis”
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is already in touch with AIM-listed alternative business structure Quindell, it has emerged. There has been widespread speculation about what action the SRA is taking over Quindell, whose share price has nose-dived in recent weeks.
Genus Law makes first acquisition
Genus Law, the Leeds-based alternative business structure formerly known as Brilliant Law that is backed by gambling entrepreneur Bert Black, has made its first acquisition. The purchase of niche employment firm Pharos Legal is a “model for what we’re going to do going forward”.
Exclusive: Connect2Law relaunches with ‘platinum’ law firm members working alongside Parabis
Law firm network Connect2Law has this week been relaunched with a new format and seven ‘platinum’ members who will work alongside leading alternative business structure Parabis.
Plant tells “flat earth” Society that SRA independence is inevitable
The outgoing chairman of the Solicitors Regulation Authority has urged the “flat-earthers” at the Law Society to accept that full structural independence for the regulator from Chancery Lane is inevitable.
The “extraordinary” tale of the lawyer who faked his client’s litigation
The High Court has set aside an order made against a litigant after it emerged that his solicitor had duped him by conducting “fictitious” litigation that included faked judgments and telephone conferences involving the impersonation of his senior partner and of leading counsel.
SRA seeks further ways to cut burden of 5,000 qualified accountants’ reports
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is proposing to cut further the number of law firms required to submit annual accountants’ reports, setting out a revised set of criteria for accountants to decide whether reports should be qualified.
Exclusive: Chief Legal Ombudsman resigns in accounts dispute
The Chief Legal Ombudsman, Adam Sampson, has resigned from his role after a controversy about travel expenses meant his organisation’s accounts are likely to be qualified by the National Audit Office.
Kenny: redress “safety net” will enable innovation and access to justice
Chris Kenny, the outgoing chief executive of the Legal Services Board, yesterday called on legal regulators to implement a “trade off” between access to the law and quality of service, with a “safety net” of easy redress when things go wrong.
Blog
Reorientation in the AI era must begin with the client
Much of the discussion about AI in the legal industry focuses on technology: which tools to adopt and which tasks might get automated. But this misses the deeper story.
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.
