Latest news
Consumer panel calls for five-fold increase in LeO’s compensation limit to £150,000
The current limit of compensation that the Legal Ombudsman can award complainants should increase five-fold to £150,000, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has recommended. It also called for abolition of the two ‘free’ complaints every firm/lawyer is allowed each year without incurring a case fee.
Law firms need to wake up to importance of apps, urges report
Many law firms have failed to ensure their websites can be read by mobile devices, while others have produced “horrendous” applications (apps) for smartphones in their rush to be seen at the cutting edge of technology, a report has claimed.
Twitter becoming key referral source for solicitors, says research
There has been a massive increase in people using Twitter to ask for recommendations of professional service providers in the last two years, with solicitors one of the most in demand, according to research conducted for Orange Business.
Yourfirm.law on the horizon as Internet body seeks radical expansion of domains
Six businesses – including a law firm – are battling for control of a new .law domain that is set to become available as the body that co-ordinates Internet addresses opens up the market radically. There is also competition for the generic top-level domains (gTLDs) .lawyer and .legal.
SRA: referral fee ban could drive many firms out of business – and may not even stop dodgy claims
The impending ban on referral fees in personal injury could result in a “steep increase” in the number of financial failures amongst small law firms – but may not actually discourage spurious claims – the Solicitors Regulation Authority has warned.
Law firm enters the Dragon’s den with Caan investment
Staffordshire law firm Knights has struck a deal to accept investment from the private equity company owned by former Dragon’s Den star James Caan in a bid to attract work away from the City.
SRA warned over ABS risk if it changes rules on referring clients to financial advisers
Insurance companies could buy law firms and use them as conduits to sell their products to consumers if the Solicitors Regulation Authority changes the rules on referring clients to financial advisers, it has been warned.
Will-writers accused of mis-selling and conducting reserved legal work
North East Trading Standards Association has joined forces with the Law Society to warn consumers about unregulated will-writers mis-selling wills and delivering reserved legal activities.
Online legal documents: “not a place for the faint-hearted”
The only winners in the online legal documents business are those supplying services to the likes of law firms, financial institutions and trade associations – rather than selling them directly to the end-user – new research has found. It warned that engineering online legal documents is not an end in itself.
Complaints reviewer warns SRA over appearing that it is “intent on looking after solicitors”
Dissatisfaction with the response of the Solicitors Regulation Authority to allegations of misconduct by solicitors is the most common source of complaints against the authority, with the introduction of risk-based regulation making the situation worse, its independent reviewer has found.
Blog
Amplifying reach through employee-driven thought leadership
Nine in 10 executives believe thought leadership is critical to building authority, yet only a quarter feel they have implemented a robust strategy.
Divorce escrow: asset sales before final settlement
When significant matrimonial assets are sold before a final financial order is agreed, holding the proceeds safely and neutrally can present real practical challenges.
AML lacks clarity – and standards are suffering
If firms are buckling under the pressure of AML regulations, subject to ever-increasing fines, then something is clearly not working as it should be.
