Latest news
Sham marriages solicitor is struck off
A solicitor who arranged sham marriages as an immigration lawyer while “falsely representing” to the Home Office that his own marriage was genuine, has been struck off.
TV personalities wade in over agents “forcing” conveyancers on buyers
Estate agents forcing buyers to use their preferred lawyers, or at least charge more if they do not, has come under the spotlight thanks to TV personalities Martin Lewis and Kirstie Allsopp.
Local authority solicitor who lied about care order struck off
A local authority solicitor who provided “false and misleading information” to colleagues over a period of 18 months about an application to discharge a child’s care order has been struck off.
Law Society “must become more responsive to members” after SGM
The Law Society “must become much more responsive to its members working at the coalface of legal services”, the head of the Property Lawyers Action Group has said.
Investors pour $1bn into leading lawtech business
Two leading names in the world of legal technology, Clio and Harvey, announced huge fund-raises this week, valuing them at $3bn and $1.5bn respectively.
Stonewall did not “induce” chambers’ discrimination against barrister
An employment tribunal was entitled to reject a barrister’s claim that LGBT charity Stonewall “caused or induced” discrimination against her by her chambers, the EAT has ruled.
Costs of low-value clin neg claims now exceed damages
Claimant costs bills for clinical negligence claims valued up to £25,000 now exceed damages for the first time, and costs overall have risen by 11%, according to NHS data.
High Court rectifies will after solicitor’s “clerical error”
A High Court judge has rectified a will after finding it was “beyond doubt” that the solicitor who drafted it “made a clerical error” in failing to implement her client’s instructions.
LeO’s backlog “reflects scale of challenges”, chief ombudsman says
The backlog of almost 3,400 cases waiting to be investigated at the Legal Ombudsman “reflects the scale of the challenges” it faces, the chief ombudsman has said.
“Urgent action” on SLAPPs needed, says minister – but no legislation yet
The government yesterday said it recognised “an urgent need for legislation” to prevent SLAPPs but would not at this stage commit to a standalone bill.
Blog
The SRA’s strict liability gamble has failed. Good
The Court of Appeal handed down its judgment in Dentons v SRA on 27 April, and the profession is right to welcome it. It is the second time in short succession that the court has corrected the SRA.
How AI presents real opportunities for barristers
AI presents real opportunities to improve access to justice and to support barristers in day-to-day legal practice. But we all need to understand and mitigate the risks.
Not everything can be a competition issue – a new dawn for consumer redress
Last month, the Law Commission launched a new project to “consider the potential introduction of a consumer class actions regime” in England and Wales.
