Latest news
Upfront property information “must be mandated”, MPs told
Upfront information on properties for home buyers must be mandated to “revolutionise” the process, the chair of the Home Buying and Selling Group has told MPs.
High Court: Sanctioned Russians “probably owned” litigation funder
There is “reasonable cause to suspect” that the funder of the claimant in a $1.3bn action was controlled by sanctioned Russians, the High Court has ruled.
Civil Mediation Council bids to push up standards in profession
The Civil Mediation Council is creating an independent regulatory body and applying for a Royal charter in a bid to drive up standards in the profession, it has emerged.
Government early legal advice pilot “helped five people”
A Ministry of Justice pilot project offering early publicly funded legal advice for housing debt and welfare benefit ended up helping only five people – but it nonetheless has potential.
Exclusive: Lawfront eyes £150m group as ambitions grow
Private equity-backed Lawfront – which earlier this month made its fourth major acquisition – is now looking to build a group turning over £150m, Legal Futures can reveal.
Alternative ways to practise as a solicitor have had “modest impact”
The options for solicitors to offer services to the public as freelancers or from unregulated businesses have had a “modest impact on consumer choice”, research for the SRA has found.
Solicitor struck off for making false costs claim to court
A solicitor who tried to pass off costs incurred by someone else as his own before the Business and Property Court has been struck off.
LSB warns regulators of enforcement action on lawyer quality indicators
The Legal Services Board has warned regulators that they could face action over “slow” progress in developing quality indicators to help consumers choose lawyers.
Revealed: MoJ looks at client account interest to support free legal advice
The Ministry of Justice is formally looking at whether interest on some client accounts could be diverted to fund legal services for people unable to afford advice, Legal Futures can reveal.
It’s official: fixed costs for clinical negligence set for October
The government has finally confirmed that fixed recoverable costs for low-value clinical negligence claims that settle pre-issue will come into force in October 2024.
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.
