Latest news
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.
Pooling interest will soften LASPO cutbacks, says think tank
The government should introduce a compulsory scheme that uses extra interest law firms could earn by grouping client funds, to mitigate the impact of the LASPO reforms, a think tank has urged.
Horwich Farrelly appoints Allianz boss to board
Specialist insurance litigation firm and alternative business structure (ABS), Horwich Farrelly, has boosted its bid to diversify into new markets by appointing to its board the chairman of the UK business of an insurance company with a global turnover of almost £2bn.
Slater & Gordon acquires Fentons and extends its PI reach
Slater & Gordon Lawyers (S&G) has today confirmed that it will acquire leading claimant personal injury firm Fentons Solicitors LLP, as its managing director pointed to “terrific opportunities” brought by UK regulatory changes.
Challinors break up begins
Liverpool-based alternative business structure (ABS) SGI Legal has acquired the personal injury caseload of Midlands firm Challinors, which went into administration last month in advance of an orderly sell-off.
Quindell puts share price jitters behind it with strong performance
Alternative business structure (ABS) Quindell Portfolio plc has posted strong interim half-year results after signing service contracts worth about £100m a year, and attributed the success in part to strong growth in legal services.
Blog
The best legal AI doesn’t replace rules-based engines – it completes them
There is a belief circulating in legal tech that AI can solve everything – that LLMs are universally superior to what came before. It is not always true, however.
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%.
