Latest news
LSB and Law Society on new collision course over SRA appointments
The Legal Services Board is heading for another confrontation with the Law Society after proposing to take away its responsibility for appointing the chairman and board of the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
LSB to impose controversial lay chair requirement on regulators
The frontline regulators will be required to have lay chairs in future after the Legal Services Board (LSB) pressed ahead with its controversial change to the internal governance rules.
Tribunal rejects SRA appeal against sex discrimination ruling
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has lost its appeal against an employment tribunal decision that it discriminated against a female employee after revoking her part-time working agreement.
After BigLaw and NewLaw, here comes MicroLaw
The case for ‘micro’ law firms – small, boutique practices spun out of larger firms – is growing as lawyers struggle to control the ‘Leviathan’ of big practices, a top academic has argued.
Investment boost for legal research website targeting crowdsourcing to generate content
A commercial legal research website is under development that aims to harness the power of crowdsourcing to generate content and become the starting point for enquiries by law student and lawyers. It has just received £60,000 in private investment.
QASA claimants bid to fight on to Court of Appeal
The legal challenge to the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) is not yet dead after it emerged that the claimants have gone to the Court of Appeal to seek permission to appeal.
Debt management giant starts ABS as accountants close legal practice after just five months
One of the UK’s largest debt management companies, Harrington Brooks, which has an annual turnover of around £30m, has created an alternative business structure run by its head of legal services.
Online legal service targets web commerce market with ‘law in minutes’
A long-standing seller of legal documents is set to launch a venture selling simple packages of documents aimed at website developers and people running online businesses.
Slater & Gordon completes Pannone acquisition and hints at yet more to come
Slater & Gordon has become “one of the UK’s largest general law firms” after completing the acquisition of Manchester-based Pannone on Friday – and indicated that it has not finished buying up practices.
Hires round-up: Competition Commission director joins LSB as Jordans makes first post-ABS hire
The focus of the Legal Services Board on competition in the legal market looks set to intensify after it appointed the inquiry director at the Competition Commission as its new strategy chief. It is one of several key appointments announced recently.
Blog
Small steps, big impact: how SME law firms are making legal tech work
For SME law firms, the priority is turning the potential of tech into measurable impact: success is driven not just by the technology, but by how firms approach planning and implementation.
Why housing disrepair claims against councils have leapt by nearly 400%
Housing disrepair claims against councils have surged dramatically in recent years, with some areas reporting increases approaching a staggering 400%.
Client accounts: Opportunity, obligation and the risks in between
The profitability gap between well-run firms and the rest is not primarily a function of size, location or practice area – it is a function of financial management.
