Latest news
Rescue for Challinors subsidiary
Thomas Solicitors – which was bought by failed law firm Challinors three years ago – has been acquired by East Midlands practice Hawley & Rodgers. The firm has continued to trade profitably despite its parent company’s financial difficulties.
CMCs in the dock over cold-calling and shoddy work
Citizens Advice has hit out at claims management companies for cold-calling and the way they then handle payment protection insurance mis-selling cases. Two-thirds of adults – equivalent to 32m people in the UK – say they have been cold-called over PPI, its research claims.
Co-op undeterred despite £3.4m loss by legal services business
Co-operative Legal Services has revealed losses of £3.4m for the first half of 2013, which its parent group said reflected “the start-up nature of the business”. But The Co-operative Group affirmed its intention to “continue with our plans to develop this growing business”.
The doctor will see you now – niche medical law firm plans post-ABS expansion
A niche medical law firm has become an alternative business structure with the ambition of becoming a one-stop shop for healthcare providers. DR Solicitors was created under a brand designed to appeal to its primary care doctor, dentist and consultant clients.
AIM-listed accident management company launches ABS
Leading AIM-listed accident management company Helphire Group has linked with a start-up personal injury law firm within an alternative business structure, Legal Futures can reveal. Principia Law Limited is managed by solicitors and barristers.
BSB hopes JR will close floodgates on costs
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is to judicially review (JR) a disciplinary tribunal decision ordering that an acquitted barrister who represented herself be paid £27,500 costs, fearing that if it went unchallenged, similar claims could follow.
Riverview plots major expansion
Riverview Law, the fixed-priced commercial law business, is to double in size by creating up to 100 new posts over the next year, it announced today. The firm said the appointments are a result of “recent contract wins with a number of FTSE 100 businesses”.
Corporate clients pile on pressure over human rights
Law firms “cannot afford to ignore” human rights any longer, a member of a group set up to advise firms on adopting UN rights principles has urged, while another member reported corporate clients were demanding that firms examine their own ethical credentials.
ABA: US lawyers can share fees with ABS non-lawyers
An American Bar Association (ABA) ethics opinion has opened the door to US law firms sharing fees with counterparts in the UK, even though non-lawyers within alternative business structures (ABS) will also benefit.
Challinors lawyers hired as firm goes under
The dispersal of failed Midlands firm Challinors ended yesterday as the firm went under with 46 redundancies, but there were also hires by multi-office firms Shoosmiths, Clarke Wilmott and Cartwright King.
Blog
Divorce escrow: asset sales before final settlement
When significant matrimonial assets are sold before a final financial order is agreed, holding the proceeds safely and neutrally can present real practical challenges.
AML lacks clarity – and standards are suffering
If firms are buckling under the pressure of AML regulations, subject to ever-increasing fines, then something is clearly not working as it should be.
The power of participation for trainees and apprentices
It’s important as a trainee or an apprentice to get involved in the life of your firm – even under the pressure of discovering how to navigate professional life and now the demands of the SQE.
