Latest news
Supreme Court overturns decision that class action should be opt-out
The Supreme Court has reinstated a decision that £2.7bn collective proceedings should be on an opt-in, rather than opt-out, basis.
Complex court processes “shut out litigants in person”
Complex court administrative processes “increasingly function as gatekeepers to justice” and shut out litigants in person, research has found.
Opt-out class action first for businesses as car delivery case settles
Businesses are to benefit from an opt-out class action for the first time after the last two defendants in the car delivery charges case settled for £54m.
AI tool aims to capture “invisible thinking” of lawyers
A legal tech startup led by a solicitor turned behavioural psychologist is aiming to capture the “invisible knowledge” of senior lawyers for the benefit of both junior lawyers and clients.
Compliance officer banned after lying about being in office
A compliance officer at a City law firm who pretended he was at work when he was actually working from home – and continued to lie about it – has been banned from the profession.
CLC and consumer panel back radical review of Legal Ombudsman
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers and Legal Services Consumer Panel have both backed a radical review of the Legal Ombudsman and possibly a complete redesign of the scheme.
Suspended suspension for “manifestly incompetent” solicitor
A “manifestly incompetent” solicitor who facilitated one fraudulent and three potentially fraudulent property transactions has been given a suspended suspension.
Second time lucky as government agrees to reverse PACCAR
The government is to legislate to reverse the Supreme Court’s 2023 PACCAR ruling, which has brought huge uncertainty to the litigation funding market.
AI use and employee ownership trigger staff bonuses at leading firms
Staff at two leading regional law firms have been awarded significant bonuses – one for use of AI and the other for their work in an employee-owned practice.
Law Society tells LeO: Focus on performance, not reform
The Law Society is urging the Legal Ombudsman not to launch a fundamental review of its rules when it should be focusing on reducing its backlog of cases.
Blog
The importance of benchmarking reports – and lessons on profitability
Regional firms reported the largest revenue growth this year (12%), outpacing their City counterparts. Yet many are not converting that growth into profitability.
Fixed recoverable costs: Sacrificing justice for predictability?
The extended fixed recoverable costs regime is failing to achieve its stated objectives. Instead of promoting fairness and efficiency, the rules are creating anomalies that undermine justice.
Expectations keep rising, so prioritise client experience
Law firms are facing growing pressure to place greater focus on client experience or risk falling behind in an increasingly competitive legal market.
