Latest news
Will-writer becomes ABS to handle reserved work and plumps for CLC regulation
A will-writing and probate services company in Birmingham has become the latest alternative business structure, and only the second licensed by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers.
Cost of practising as a solicitor to rise well above inflation
The cost of practising as a solicitor will rise well above inflation this year, mainly to ensure the Law Society has the funds to compensate the victims of fraud, but also to make up the cost of IT project overruns.
LSB gets clean bill of health but idea of ‘super regulator’ remains on the horizon
The Legal Services Board and Office for Legal Complaints were today given a clean bill of health by the government, although it acknowledged that in the long term transforming the LSB into a ‘super regulator’ is an option.
Law Society budgets for £10m deficit as Hudson receives 6.8% pay rise
IT project “cost overruns” have contributed to the Law Society budgeting for a £10m deficit this year, it has emerged. The 2011 accounts also reveal that chief executive Des Hudson received a 6.8% pay rise last year to £407,000 in total.
Family specialist calls on lawyer mediators to unite in fight against new competition
A family law practitioner from Wakefield is calling on solicitors, barristers and chartered legal executives to unite to promote to the public the benefits of lawyer mediators over non-lawyer competitors.
10+ partner firms eye merger, leaving smaller practices home alone
There is a much higher chance of merger among mid-sized law firms than small practices in the coming year but the well of good merger partners is far from bottomless, new research has found. The survey found that most had thought about merger in recent months.
Who owns your departing fee-earner’s LinkedIn contacts? New guidance warns firms to plan ahead
Law firms’ social media policies need to extend to issues such as who owns contacts and content developed by staff members through the use of networks like LinkedIn, while they should also be cautious about searching the social media activity of potential recruits, new guidance has advised.
Barristers far happier than public with how BSB handles misconduct complaints, survey finds
Only a third of members of the public who complain to the Bar Standards Board about barristers’ professional conduct believe the process is open and fair, according to a user satisfaction survey.
SRA grants waivers to three ABSs and warns applicants over timetable for approval
Three of the seven ABSs so far approved by the Solicitors Regulation Authority have been granted waivers as part of their applications, it has emerged. It also warned applicants who may have tight timescales for approval that it will not guarantee to meet them.
SRA mulls dropping requirement on solicitors to refer clients to IFAs
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is set to recommend dropping the controversial ban on practitioners referring clients to tied financial advisers. Solicitors would instead have to ensure that the client is involved in the decision-making process that goes into any referral.
Blog
When AI becomes a line on the client’s bill
On 23 June, Legora changed how it charges. The platform announced that its most capable product was moving away from a flat per-seat licence fee to consumption-based pricing
Which legal AI will still matter in 12 months?
Four years ago, when senior partners asked me which legal AI they should buy, I would have walked them through a vendor comparison. Now I tell them the question is wrong.
Supreme Court redraws line between member and employee in LLPs
For anyone advising professional services firms on LLP structuring, and of course for those in LLPs themselves, last week’s Supreme Court ruling is an essential read.
