Latest news
High Court quashes “irrational” LeO decision against barrister but upholds record SDT fine
A High Court judge has overturned a Legal Ombudsman decision that a barrister had not earned his fee, but separately upheld a Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal decision to hand out a record fine.
Innovation in private legal sector leads way for access to justice, says report
Harnessing the communications power of the digital revolution can go a long way towards filling the access to justice gap created by cuts in legal aid, according to a major report.
Kenny: reviving self-regulation would see a return to the bad old days
Resurrecting self-regulation of lawyers – as the Law Society and Bar Council are urging the government to do – would be “an obstacle to progress” for legal services providers and consumers alike, the Legal Services Board has warned.
SRA plans radical liberalisation of CPD requirements
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is looking at whether to abolish all of the prescriptive requirements around continuing professional development (CPD) and leave it to solicitors and their firms to decide how best to ensure their continuing competence.
Parabis hires Jabbari to create regional firm network in support of consumer law ABSs
Alternative business structure Parabis Group is to create a branded franchise network of regional law firms to support its consumer law offering, after hiring former Connect2Law chief David Jabbari, Legal Futures can reveal.
SRA: hundreds of companies, public authorities and law centres mulling ABS conversion
The impact of alternative business structures (ABSs) on organisations with in-house lawyers is likely to be felt most in the third sector, major new research has found – but hundreds of private companies and public authorities are looking at conversion too.
Senior City lawyer becomes ABS but faces MDP dilemma
The former head of construction at City giant Norton Rose has turned his legal consultancy into an alternative business structure, but has had difficulty finding a non-lawyer professional partner of similar standing to link up with.
High Court refuses permission to appeal QASA ruling and makes maximum costs order
The High Court has today refused permission to appeal against the recent ruling on the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA), saying there was no reasonable prospect of the claimant barristers making a successful challenge to it.
Blue-chip wealth adviser becomes ABS and predicts global take-up
The chief executive of a blue-chip global wealth adviser that administers £200bn of assets has predicted alternative business structures are a reform of law firm ownership that other countries will have to adopt – having just secured a licence itself.
Unprecedented consolidation, ABSs and only the global or niche surviving – Knowles surveys future
Commercial law firms that think a recovering economy will save them from the imminent and major consolidation of the market are “deluding themselves”, Sir Nigel Knowles has warned. The trends in the legal market – including ABSs – will render many firms’ business models as obsolete.
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,
