Latest news
Exclusive: small business adviser eyes law firm acquisitions as part of push into legal services
A company that currently provides small businesses with accountancy and HR advice is set to move into legal services, with an alternative business structure application and the acquisition of law firms likely, Legal Futures can reveal.
Wigster bids for 500-strong law firm panel after bringing in ex-Minster Law CEO to lead expansion
Legal comparison website Wigster.com has unveiled plans to increase its 100-strong law firm panel five-fold as it seeks to step up its presence in the market. Matthew Briggs, former CEO of Minster Law and Capita Insurance Services, has joined as a director to drive growth.
In brief: Law Society gives in over reaccreditation, QS in Barnardo’s will push and much more
Our regular news round-up covers the Law Society bowing to pressure over criminal litigation accreditation scheme plans, banks signing up to a new probate protocol, QualitySolicitors’ charitable partnership with Barnardo’s, the College of Law adding a Masters in Law to the LPC, an IP firm diversifying, and sluggish growth at the top firms.
Law firm joins forces with seven other businesses to launch collision-to-settlement ABS
A new business that brings together a law firm with seven other service providers needed to manage a motor accident from collision to settlement has applied for alternative business structure status, Legal Futures can report.
Survey: consumers keen on online legal services – so long as there is professional support
Consumers are open to using online legal services, so long as they are coupled with professional support, according to new research. A survey of 503 consumers found that over two-thirds were attracted by the idea of performing legal tasks on the Internet.
Non-lawyer staff causing law firms problems, says leading regulator
US law firms are increasingly running into trouble when they allow non-lawyers to take an active part in front-of-house relationships with clients, a top California legal regulator has revealed.
Here come the brands: AA applies for ABS licence…
The AA has applied for an alternative business structure licence, Legal Futures can reveal. It follows the success of the motoring giant’s online legal document service, which was launched two years ago.
… as Saga expands into fixed-fee private client services and bids for ABS status too
Over-50s specialist Saga has today launched a new range of legal services which it claims aims to make the market “more straightforward in terms of charges, language and accessibility” – and has also applied for an alternative business structure licence.
Relief for solicitors’ wallets as small number of firms apply to enter ARP
The number of applications from law firms to enter the assigned risks pool in its last year is back to pre-crisis levels, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has reported. This year the profession is liable to pay the first £10m in claims that arise from the pool.
Susskind: firms starting to embrace new ways of working as ‘legal factories’ loom
Pressure from in-house lawyers has encouraged some law firms to come out of denial and realise that they need to find new ways to handle and price work, legal IT guru Professor Richard Susskind has claimed. However, there was still considerable resistance to alternative fee arrangements.
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”.
