Latest news
Bar Council accuses solicitors over referral fee pressure and "abuse"
Some solicitors are putting barristers under “increasing pressure” to enter into referral fee arrangements, while others are trying to take “improper advantage” of advocates by abusing the ‘one case, one fee’ rules in criminal work, the Bar Council has complained.
Solicitors urged to join Portas drive to save the high street with the Co-op set for massive expansion
Solicitors should get involved in Mary Portas’s plans to revive the high street – especially with the looming prospect of a massive increase in the Co-op’s ability to provide face-to-face legal advice, a law firm group has said.
Legal Services Board levy set to fall as it reins in costs
The Legal Services Board is planning to reduce its levy on the legal profession by 9% next year, it announced yesterday while outlining its plans for 2012/13 and wider strategic objectives for the next three years.
Law firm investor in talks with more than 25 practices
The first business to announce its intention to invest in law firms has already spoken to more than 25 interested practices, it has revealed. However, In-Deed’s half-year results have revealed a very slow start to its online conveyancing business, with only 120 instructions in four months.
SRA eyes expanded international reach by offering to regulate foreign firms
Foreign law firms could choose to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under proposals put forward yesterday. An SRA green paper also suggests introducing a single “passport to practice” for firms with multiple overseas offices.
Banning referral fees and then cutting RTA portal costs will have “devastating” impact
It is full steam ahead at the Ministry of Justice with the Jackson reforms, but do the figures add up? If they do, what do they add up to? Amanda Ashton of Compass Costs crunches the figures on the impact a reduction in RTA portal fees will have in the event referral fees are banned
Pro bono panel calls for more public legal education and says ABSs may help
It is essential for law firms to offer better public legal education – including getting into schools, according to the Master of the Rolls – while alternative business structures could help pro bono provision, it was claimed at the launch of National Pro Bono Week on Monday.
Banning referral fees will achieve nothing, warns government adviser
Banning referral fees will have “no effect on legal costs” and instead make something that is “currently reasonably transparent into something totally opaque”, the architect of the claims management regime has warned MPs.
Will-writer regulation and the need to address poor-quality work by solicitors
In a robust defence of the will-writing industry, Steve Jenkins of leading provider Trust Inheritance argues that while some targeted regulation of the sector could help, there needs to be a strong focus on improving the quality of solicitors’ work.
Defendant loses bid to throw claimants’ solicitors off case over privilege “breach”
A defendant in a high-profile group action has failed in his bid to have the claimants’ solicitors thrown off the case for having sight of privileged documents. Bjorn Stiedl is one of the defendants in the multi-million-pound InnovatorOne case.
Blog
Mazur: when regulators make simple things complicated
What the last six months have shown is that supervision cannot be treated as a background compliance obligation quietly managed somewhere in a firm’s operational processes.
How unstoppable AI is reshaping UK legal practice
At a time when most technology innovation still flows from the US and China, UK lawtech is attracting growing international attention and capital.
Modern vehicles: new injury profiles and new legal challenges
As the number of electric vehicles on UK roads continues to grow year-on-year, it is important to address the risks that come with their increased adoption.
