Latest news
Law firm’s bid to restrain winding-up petition in doubt
The High Court is to reconsider its intention to allow a Manchester law firm to restrain a claims provider from presenting a winding-up petition.
Solicitor took on mis-selling claims “without understanding them”
A solicitor has been fined for letting her firm run mortgage mis-selling claims when she had “no experience or expertise” and made multiple errors as a result.
Tribunal approves landmark £200m Mastercard settlement
The Competition Appeal Tribunal last week approved the £200m settlement of former solicitor Walter Merricks with Mastercard, in a case once valued at £14bn.
Barristers win 25% increase in rates for government work
Barristers doing government work will see a 25% increase in rates from 1 April, in some cases the first rise since the panels were first introduced in 1997.
SRA reopens case of business secretary calling himself a solicitor
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has reopened its investigation into business secretary Jonathan Reynolds describing himself as a solicitor.
Number of PI law firms drops a third in five years
The number of personal injury law firms has shrunk by more than a third in just five years, according to research which also found a “significant untapped market”.
Regulatory action against Post Office lawyers “could start this summer”
Both solicitors and barristers involved in the Post Office scandal could start to face disciplinary action by this summer, their regulators have declared.
First unsuccessful opt-out class rep to pay £14m in interim costs
The unsuccessful claimant in the first opt-out collective action decided by the Competition Appeal Tribunal has been ordered to make an interim costs payment of £14m.
Many divorcees do not understand the law – even if they had a lawyer
“Substantial proportions” of divorcees do not understand the law on how assets are split, even if they used a lawyer, the first research of its kind has found.
SRA report calls for major shift in lawyers’ approach to vulnerability
There should be a “fundamental alteration” in the way the legal sector approaches consumer vulnerability, taking an opt-out, rather than opt-in, approach, a study for the SRA has argued.
Blog
Accountability has to live within governance, not with one person
The assumption has long been that a COLP or COFA is personally exposed to the consequences of anti-money laundering breaches.
The SRA’s client money reforms: good intentions, questionable execution
On the face of it, the SRA’s plans to tighten protections around client money sounds sensible. The detail, as ever, tells a more complicated story.
Recruitment, retention and reward in the legal accounts world
Understanding the legal finance market is important – not just for those actively involved in it day-to-day but also for leaders within law firms.
