Latest news
QASA challenge could cost criminal barristers £215,000
The Criminal Bar Association and circuits could face a £65,000 bill – nearly twice what they had hoped for – if their Court of Appeal bid to derail the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) fails, it has emerged.
Visitors uphold fine for pupillage head who ignored online applications
The Bar’s disciplinary tribunal was right to fine the head of a pupillage committee at a London chambers who ignored 98 online applications, the Visitors to the Inns of Court have ruled.
First local authority ABS receives green light
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has finally licensed the first local authority alternative business structure (ABS), after approving the collaborative law firm set up by two Buckinghamshire local authority legal teams, Legal Futures can reveal.
LSB extends time for indemnity decision
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has extended by up to two months the time it can take to decide whether to approve a cut in the minimum indemnity limit for law firms.
Quindell fights fire again as share price rollercoaster continues
Alternative business structure Quindell plc sought to halt yet another run on its shares yesterday by issuing its second trading update in little over three weeks.
Lower indemnity limit would “attract discount in premiums”, SRA insists
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has insisted that a lower minimum limit for indemnity insurance would “attract a discount in premiums” for law firms as it sought to counter widespread criticism of its plans.
CML warns of “fast and potentially drastic action” if indemnity limit is cut
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has warned that cutting the minimum indemnity limit for law firms could force lenders into taking “fast and potentially drastic action”.
SRA now licensing more than 300 ABSs
There are now more than 300 alternative business structures (ABS) operating in England and Wales under the supervision of the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Information Commissioner sounds alarm over lawyers’ handling of personal data
The Information Commissioner’s Office has issued a warning to solicitors and barristers over the need to keep personal information secure, especially paper files, in the wake of “a number of data breaches” in recent months.
Rated insurers “may be reluctant” to offer lower indemnity limits
Rated insurers may be reluctant to offer law firms indemnity limits as low as the £500,000 proposed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), a leading insurance broker has warned.
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.
