Latest news
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.
Fusion Legal becomes latest Connect2Law hub to go its own way
East Midlands firm Nelsons has launched Fusion Legal, a new regional support network, following West Midlands firm FBC Manby Bowdler, which launched Hub.Legal this summer.
Former pupillage head launches judicial review over non-judge Visitors
Ben Conlon, former head of the pupillage committee at 3 Temple Gardens, has launched a judicial review arguing that the Visitors to the Inns of Court should made up only of High Court judges.
KPMG granted wide-ranging waivers from SRA rules
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has granted KPMG 12 waivers from the rules governing solicitors, in what appears to be a work-around ahead of proposed new rules that will make it easier for multi-disciplinary practices to become alternative business structures.
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.
