Latest news
It's final – LeO decides to name and shame lawyers over complaints
From April 2012 the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) will “name and shame” law firms or lawyers against whom a “pattern of complaints” has been made, or whenever naming is judged to be in the public interest, it announced today.
Legal Services Board to intervene in Prudential privilege appeal
The Legal Services Board is to intervene in the high-profile Supreme Court case on whether the right to claim legal professional privilege should extend beyond the clients of solicitors and barristers. The Prudential case concerns tax law advice from accountants.
Bar Council chief urges barristers to embrace direct instructions from the public
Barristers need to grasp the opportunities offered by direct access for the public, which will also help them bid for legal aid contracts, the chairman of the Bar Council has urged. Peter Lodder QC said the “critical importance” of public access is underlined by the proposed legal aid cuts.
Cost of SRA compliance “forcing small firms to close”, says Law Society survey
More than one in ten small law firms questioned in a massive survey of solicitors plan to close down or merge as a result of the cost of complying with regulatory obligations, Law Society research has revealed.
Legal comparison websites struggling to reconcile fixed fees with “reality of law”
The challenge for legal price comparison sites is to reconcile the public’s desire for an instant quote and fixed fees “with the reality that many areas of law are complex, lengthy, unpredictable, and, as such, cannot be achieved on a fixed-fee basis”, a Law Society report has concluded.
New legal regulator takes the reins
The professional standards of costs lawyers will in future be independently assured after the Costs Lawyer Standards Board this week became their approved regulator. They can become partners in LDPs and are within the Legal Ombudsman’s jurisdiction.
Ombudsman takes solicitors to court for failing to comply with orders
The Legal Ombudsman has brought its first enforcement actions in the county court after two law firms failed to comply with its orders. In the first case, LeO had told the solicitors to pay £2,650 compensation to their client for paying money to a third party without authorisation.
Will-writers face conduct compliance checks
The Society of Will Writers is stepping up efforts to position itself as the regulator of the industry by introducing compliance checks against its new code of practice. The SWW is the largest will-writing body with 2,000 members.
No more summer jobs for the boys? LSB, Law Society and Bar back interns code
The Legal Services Board (LSB), Law Society and Bar Council have thrown their weight behind a best practice code aimed at stamping out bias in granting internships and improving social mobility for disadvantaged students. Meanwhile, LSB chairman David Edmonds has criticised the idea of restricting access to training to deal with the oversupply of bar students.
Law Society: SRA has “no coherent vision” for insurance reform
Excluding claims by financial institutions from compulsory professional indemnity insurance cover will harm consumers and smaller law firms, cut access to justice and do little to reduce conveyancing claims, the Law Society has said.
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.
