Latest news
Specialist ABS secures £150,000 from regional growth fund
The North East Growth Fund (NEGF) is investing £150,000 in one of the country’s most specialised ABSs to pay for systems upgrades and new staff training provision.
Sole practices responsible for 45% of claims on compensation fund
Sole practices are responsible for 45% of the latest claims made on the solicitors’ compensation fund, despite making up only around a third of firms at the time, research for the Solicitors Regulation Authority has found.
Optima Legal joins Capita empire after ABS award
Outsourcing giant Capita can complete its purchase of Optima Legal and Cost Advocates after the SRA today granted Optima an alternative business structure license.
Consumers won’t pay for barristers, predicts Slater & Gordon chief
Consumer demand for lower costs means the divide between solicitors and barristers will not be sustainable, the managing director of Slater & Gordon has predicted. Andrew Grech also told sceptics of his firm’s publicly listed status that business structures do not protect ethics.
Solicitor numbers fall – for the first time in 20 years
The number of practicing and non-practicing solicitors has fallen – for the first time in more than 20 years. Meanwhile, the decline in the number of law firms continued, according to new Law Society statistics.
Local authority ABSs need “clear rationale”
Local authorities must have a “really clear rationale” before setting up ABSs to generate extra income, a leading public services lawyer has warned. Potential problems included conflicts of interest, confidentiality and indemnity insurance.
Government rules out major reform to legal regulation
There is to be no fundamental rethink of the regulatory regime for the legal profession, the Ministry of Justice announced today. Minister Shailesh Vara also specifically ruled out any change to the list of reserved legal activities.
SRA signals fresh approach to regulation
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has signalled a fresh approach to its work, with a focus on simplifying the requirements it imposes and ensuring they are proportionate.
Criminal barristers ask BSB: Are you working for the government?
Criminal law barristers have urged the Bar Standards Board to come clean on whether pressure from the government was behind its decision to launch a consultation tightening the rules on returning instructions.
Law Society loses control of SRA chair and board appointments
Control over the appointment of the next chairman of the Solicitors Regulation Authority was taken away from the Law Society yesterday after the Legal Services Board introduced new rules governing the process.
Blog
Preparing people for the pace of technological change
While technology often dominates the conversation, I believe the most important challenge facing law firms is not adopting new tools – it is preparing people to adapt alongside them.
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,
