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American opposition to alternative business structures is about protecting lawyers, not clients, Professor Richard Susskind has suggested. And he predicted that within a decade or so, “most advanced jurisdictions, and many emerging jurisdictions as well, will have liberalised in the manner of England

Lawyers’ lack of transparency over cost – rather than the actual cost of their services – is the major barrier to consumers seeking legal advice and the primary cause of a breakdown in trust between them, Legal Services Board research has found.

A solicitor has won an interim injunction to stop his former younger lover from going public with details of their relationship, it has emerged. However, Mr Justice Tugendhat has warned that he will keep under review the need for the parties to stay anonymous.

Competition from alternative business structures (ABSs) has increased pressure on law firms to the point that 2,500 are at risk of financial failure in the coming year, according to business recovery specialists.

Alex Mills, who was last week fired from The Apprentice, has told Legal Futures that his fledgling brand Dynamo Legal has a six-month window to capitalise on the publicity his stint on the BBC show has generated.

There may be fewer criminal law firms as a result of legal aid reform but not fewer solicitors, the Lord Chancellor claimed today. Questioned by the justice select committee, Chris Grayling also expressed disappointment at what he said was the Bar’s failure to engage with the process.

The shareholders of online conveyancing business In-Deed – the first listed company to buy a law firm – have approved the plan to dispose of the practice and the rest of its business. Nonetheless, the failure of In-Deed paves the way for “further necessary disruption in the conveyancing market”, it has been claimed.

Personal injury solicitors have urged the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to rethink its “unacceptable” refusal to ban inducements to claim. It comes as actuaries have warned that “claims farming is on the increase”.

The “sustainable consolidation” of nearly 1,200 small criminal law firms could be driven by requiring them to have a minimum number of duty solicitors, the Law Society has proposed as its alternative to price competitive tendering.

A human resources (HR) outsourcing one-stop shop involving both lawyers and non-lawyers has been launched by City firm DAC Beachcroft, with plans to roll out the blueprint to other areas of legal services.