Latest news
SRA set to reject solicitor lobbying and change controversial referral rule
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to push ahead with controversial changes to the rules on referrals to financial advisers that will no longer preclude them from choosing those tied to particular institutions, despite opposition from the Law Society, SIFA and others.
Younger consumers attracted by idea of legal services from a supermarket
Nearly seven out of ten people are attracted to the idea of finding legal services on the internet and a similar number of younger adults are likely to go to supermarket providers, according to a survey.
OFT targets legal websites in push to improve standards among price comparison services
The Office of Fair Trading has written to five legal price comparison websites to urge them to ensure they are providing clear information to consumers, after a review suggested that some sites could do more to improve trust amongst the public.
All talk, no action? Most law firms in merger negotiations, but few end up in deals
Merger and acquisition talks are rife among law firms, although there is little evidence of many making it through to a deal, new research has suggested. According to the survey by NatWest, 62% of firms had received or made approaches in the past year.
Profits up as Knights benefits from Caan factor, while Parabis chief warns of accountant threat
Investment by Dragon’s Den star James Caan has given the law firm Knights privileged access to clients and helped boost fee income by 20%, according to its managing partner. Meanwhile Parabis chief executive Tim Oliver has warned about the entry of the big accountants.
Government will not set limit on payments permitted under referral fee ban exception
The government is not currently planning to set an upper limit on payments that are exempt from the referral fee ban as “consideration for services”, it has announced. The news came as the Claims Management Regulator issued preliminary guidance on how it will approach the ban.
QS defends "premature" attack ads and reports mixed results from WH Smith stands
QualitySolicitors (QS) has admitted its campaign of attack ads on ‘faceless’ legal advice may have been premature, but defended it on the grounds that the network’s solicitors wanted the message publicised.
New franchise targets advertising in Costcutter to reach "lower" demographics
A new high street franchise that aims to market member law firms to “lower” demographics in thousands of branches of independent food retailers working under brands like Costcutter, Nisa and Premier Stores went live yesterday.
LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer go head to head again – in the courts
America’s two big online legal document brands, both of which are about to launch in the UK, are set to clash in court after LegalZoom launched proceedings against Rocket Lawyer over claims in its marketing that various services are free.
ABS-in-waiting to double in size as non-lawyer backing prompts massive recruitment drive
The impact of non-lawyer investment into law firms came to the fore today as Liverpool personal injury practice Silverbeck Rymer announced plans to create 300 jobs over the next year and so more than double in size.
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”.
