Latest news
Consumer panel calls for radical reform of financial protection arrangements
A single scheme joining up professional indemnity insurance and compensation funds across the whole legal services market – including unregulated providers – should be actively explored, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has recommended.
Referral scheme offers “lifeline” to PI solicitors
A scheme that offers solicitors a “lifeline” by enabling them to continue working with personal injury referrers was launched today by well-known legal IT firm Epoq. The company has created LegalGo, a free legal assistance plan.
SRA: plenty of firms breaching the referral fee ban
A significant number of businesses involved in the personal injury market have been acting in breach of the referral fee ban since it came in on 1 April, the chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority warned yesterday.
Co-op distances itself from claim that good client service is “alien to solicitors”
The Co-operative Legal Services has disassociated itself from comments made by its sales and marketing director that putting consumers at the heart of what they do is “alien” to solicitors, after complaints by the Law Society.
Regulator goes public with names of CMCs under investigation
The fact that claims management companies are under investigation by their regulator has become a matter of public record after the Ministry of Justice launched a new transparency tool. The new section of the MoJ’s website also includes enforcement action that has been taken.
Law firm attached to new insurance business gains ABS licence
A new insurance business that will also offer wills, probate and family law services is set to go live after its law firm received an alternative business structure licence. It is the first insurance/law firm tie-up that does not involve personal injury claims.
SRA warns solicitors off ‘get rich quick’ SDLT and referral fee schemes
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has warned law firms under financial pressure against becoming involved in schemes that “manage” the ban on referral fees or promote “improper” ways to avoid stamp duty land tax.
MoJ sets legal services review in motion
The Ministry of Justice yesterday made public its plan for a new legal services review that aims to simplify the regulatory framework governing lawyers. The review will encompass “the full breadth of the legislative framework”.
Bar Council faces probe over “undermining” independent regulation of barristers
The Legal Services Board has launched a formal investigation into whether the Bar Council interfered with the independent regulation of barristers over controversial changes made to the cab-rank rule by the Bar Standards Board.
Co-op launches multi-million pound legal services advertising campaign
The Co-operative Legal Services has today stepped up its attack on the legal market by launching its first ever TV and radio advertising campaign. The multi-million pound campaign will air on TV and radio stations across London.
Blog
Law firms need to go beyond document checks
At the root of every failed compliance review is a familiar phrase: a calm assertion of “but we did a document check”.
How you respond to mistakes matters more than the mistakes themselves
Mistakes in legal practice are inevitable. What truly differentiates well-run firms from those that stumble is not whether mistakes occur, but how they are handled when they do.
Litigation finance is not one product. It’s a strategy
Across the consumer claims market, litigation finance has developed into a broader set of funding options that can support different stages of a case.
