Latest news
“Tantamount to blackmail” – law firms granted harassment injunction
A law firm, its professional indemnity insurer – and another law firm acting for both – have been granted a permanent injunction to stop the father of an ex-client harassing them.
Partners give SRA undertakings over clearing residual balances
A law firm that continued to allow residual balances to accrue on dozens of files for nearly a decade, even after being warned by the SRA, has been rebuked.
GenAI could “reinforce rather than disrupt” the billable hour
The adoption of generative AI by lawyers “has the potential to reinforce rather than disrupt the billable hour model”, a legal academic has argued.
Barrister sounds court security alarm after witnessing mass brawl
A barrister has spoken out about court security after a fight broke out between around 15 people in the coroner’s court where he was acting last week.
Merricks: Funders should not be able to use “secret” arbitrations
Funders of collective actions should not be allowed to bring confidential arbitration proceedings against their clients, Walter Merricks – who brought the landmark Mastercard claim – argued last night.
Suspension for solicitor who recruited disbarred barrister fraudster
A veteran solicitor “duped” when recruiting a disbarred barrister with a fraud conviction – having not checked his background – has been suspended for 18 months.
SRA closes down practice of leading sports lawyer
The Solicitors Regulation Authority yesterday closed down the practice of a high-profile sports lawyer who has acted for the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Tyson Fury.
Digital assets “to play central role in law firm M&A”
Digital assets, data and “repeatable, digitally enabled processes” will play a central role in future law firm mergers, two leading advisers have predicted.
Volume litigation and law firm consolidators on LSB’s agenda
Volume litigation, consolidator law firms and unregulated legal service providers are the focus of a new consumer protection programme launched by the Legal Services Board.
Law Society’s diversity strategy to focus on disabled solicitors
The Law Society is putting the focus on disabled solicitors, access to senior roles for all under-represented groups and improving workplace cultures in a three-year diversity strategy.
Blog
The importance of benchmarking reports – and lessons on profitability
Regional firms reported the largest revenue growth this year (12%), outpacing their City counterparts. Yet many are not converting that growth into profitability.
Fixed recoverable costs: Sacrificing justice for predictability?
The extended fixed recoverable costs regime is failing to achieve its stated objectives. Instead of promoting fairness and efficiency, the rules are creating anomalies that undermine justice.
Expectations keep rising, so prioritise client experience
Law firms are facing growing pressure to place greater focus on client experience or risk falling behind in an increasingly competitive legal market.
