Latest news
Consumer panel chief: it’s how the work is done, not who does it, that matters in new legal world
Lawyers need to find new ways to differentiate themselves in an era when their professional titles will start to lose meaning for consumers, according to the chair of the Legal Services Consumer Panel.
Now the North/South divide hits solicitors’ salaries
A significant earnings gap has opened up between solicitors working in the south of England and those in the North in a surprise reversal of fortunes, according to a survey. It also found the gender pay gap widening, with women’s salaries averaging 30% less than men’s.
UK Statistics Authority takes MoJ to task over “misleading” barrister earnings figures
Government statements that criminal barristers earn an average of £84,000 from legal aid were misleading, the UK Statistics Authority has suggested. The Ministry of Justice is now to submit itself to a statutory assessment of its highly controversial statistics.
Merge, form JVs or collaborate – but don’t stand still: Law Society’s advice to crime firms
A Law Society guide to criminal legal aid after the cuts has laid bare the scale of the hurdles facing firms that wish to stay in the market and advised they choose one of three options: merger or acquisition, joint venture or collaboration.
Treasury decries Lords report and rejects delay for partnership tax reform
The Treasury has said last week’s House of Lords committee report calling for partnership tax changes to be delayed was already out-of-date, and confirmed they would come into force next month as planned.
SDT takes wrecking ball to LSB’s review of disciplinary regimes
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has condemned the recent Legal Services Board recommendation of a civil standard of proof for use across disciplinary tribunals as “looking like a small tail wagging a large dog”.
Hudson to leave Law Society
Law Society chief executive Des Hudson has today announced that he will retire from his role in July, after the society’s annual general meeting. He has been under growing pressure since the vote of no-confidence in him in December.
Diversity: Neuberger backs career judges and urges culture change at City firms
The president of the Supreme Court, Lord Neuberger, has thrown his weight behind career judges as a way of improving diversity in the judiciary. He also bemoaned companies that choose to instruct “obsessive, testosterone-driven men rather than balanced, sensible women”.
Flawed SRA investigation leads tribunal to strike out case
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has taken the unusual step of striking out a case against two solicitors in the middle of the hearing, after the integrity of the investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority was thrown into question.
BSB bids to put disciplinary appointments nightmare behind it with revamped regime
Three-quarters of the recommendations made by the 2012 Browne report into the disciplinary regime for barristers – sparked by irregularities over appointments to the disciplinary panels – have so far been implemented, according to a Bar Standards Board report.
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,
