Latest news
Barristers should have duty to “actively promote anti-discrimination”
Barristers should be under a professional duty to actively promote anti-discriminatory attitudes and behaviours, it has been suggested. But this was not about requiring barristers to be ‘woke’.
Courts’ CE file system “struggles” with omnibus claim forms
The civil courts’ case management system is a limitation of the ability of solicitors to join multiple claims to a single claim form, a High Court judge has said.
CA rejects drug-dealer’s criticism of legal team over conviction
The Court of Appeal has rejected criticisms of his legal team by a man jailed for possessing cocaine with intent to supply, saying counsel’s advice was “accurate and realistic”.
Full-service law firm relaunched as consultant-led property specialist
FDR Law, a general practice bought by Taylor Rose in 2021, has been relaunched as a specialist property law firm for self-employed consultants.
Two solicitors fined for refusing to give breath samples
Two solicitors convicted of failing to provide a specimen of breath for analysis after minor car accidents have been fined by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Guide sets out “consistent process” for AI approach to e-discovery
The International Legal Technology Association has published a draft best practice guide for the use in e-discovery of active learning, which it hopes will be officially endorsed.
Third US state set to allow alternative business structures
The slow creep of ABSs into the US is set to take a significant step forward next month when plans for a pilot are put to the supreme court of Washington state.
Formal warning for coroner overheard bad-mouthing barrister
An assistant coroner overheard describing a barrister’s submission as “bollocks” and a judge who took 16 months to produce a ruling have been disciplined for misconduct.
BlueSky thinking by lawyers amid mass exodus from X
Social media-loving lawyers have been moving en masse this week from X to BlueSky, with one chambers saying Elon Musk’s site “contradicts” its values.
Charging law firms £250 “makes volume FOS claims unmanageable”
Charging law firms fees of £250 per case to bring complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service could make volume complaints “unmanageable”, the Law Society has warned.
Blog
Beyond PCP: Can regulators and lawyers work better together next time?
Nearly a decade after the Financial Conduct Authority began investigating the car finance industry, the story of the PCP commission scandal is still unfinished.
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.
