Latest news
Law Society chief: failure to embrace flexible working holding back partnership diversity
Only a third of large firms who are signed up to a Law Society diversity charter – including three-quarters of the top-100 – have adopted flexible working, which helps explain why their partnerships remain “overwhelmingly white, heterosexual, male and able bodied”, the society’s president has complained.
Leading merger broker enters the law after striking deal with ABS consultancy
A leading merger broker has entered the legal market after joining forces with specialist advisory firm Invest in Law, Legal Futures can reveal. Langcliffe Merger Connect, which spun out of accountancy firm RSM Tenon last year, said it wanted to capitalise on the increasing M&A activity in the sector.
Barristers appeal disciplinary findings in wake of Bar tribunal failures
Three barristers have so far said they will appeal against disciplinary decisions affected by the failure of the Council of the Inns of Court to administer the Bar’s tribunal system properly, with the Bar Standards Board not resisting two of them, it has emerged.
EU anti-money laundering plans put client confidentiality at risk, Law Society warns
Client confidentiality could be undermined by proposed changes to the European money laundering directive, the Law Society has warned. The removal of simplified due diligence provisions for client accounts is among a number of proposals to which the society objects.
Croydon PI solicitor teams up with local newspaper in novel approach to referrals
An entrepreneurial personal injury solicitor has teamed up with his local newspaper to create a community charity funded by a substantial donation every time he receives an instruction from a member of the public.
Bobby dazzler as financial advisers become first to launch own law firm
An East Midlands firm of independent financial advisers is building a law firm from scratch to provide a one-stop shop for clients after obtaining an alternative business structure licence. Bobby Dhanjal Wealth Management has launched Bobby Dhanjal Legal Services Limited.
Clients reject notion of lower legal fees in return for reduced consumer protection
Consumers believe regulators ensure they have protections when buying legal services – although they don’t really know what they are – and are content to pay extra for them, a survey of users’ perceptions has found. But they also expect lawyers to provide better information about their rights.
London-based Italian lawyers sanctioned over volume overseas conveyancing
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has ruled that three Italian lawyers based in London committed a host of accounting irregularities while acting for clients in overseas property deals.
Feel the LegalForce – new concept goes live in US and UK
LegalForce, a US concept for delivering legal services, has today simultaneously launched in the US and UK, with plans to open a new type of legal retail store in the heart of London’s technology industry, Legal Futures can reveal.
Strong growth will not return to legal market until 2016, forecasts Law Society
The legal services market should return to something near pre-recession levels of growth in 2016, the Law Society has predicted. An economic study it published yesterday said the profession’s ‘real’ turnover fell marginally in 2012 and would then slowly recover for the next three years.
Blog
The SRA needs to admit it got it wrong about SLAPPs
The High Court judgment in Ashley Hurst v SRA in January raises serious questions about the regulator’s approach to allegations of SLAPP-like behaviour.
Why menopause support belongs on every law firm’s agenda
Progression in the law slows significantly as women approach senior leadership. Most will be at the height of their careers around the average age menopause symptoms begin.
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”.
