Latest news
1,000% interest income rise masks profit falls at SME law firms
Interest income at small and medium-sized law firms surged by 1,000% last year, research for the Law Society has found, masking a significant fall in profits.
SRA sets out plans to regulate CILEX paralegals and students
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has outlined its plans to regulate the thousands of Chartered Institute of Legal Executives members who are paralegals and students.
Inability to afford a lawyer “cannot delay proceedings”, says master
An impecunious defendant seeking to stay an action because they cannot afford legal representation must show they are trying to rectify the situation, a High Court master has said.
Lawyers “split” on Post Office exoneration bill, Chalk acknowledges
Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk admitted yesterday that legal opinion is “split” on the bill to exonerate sub-postmasters convicted on the basis of faulty evidence from the Horizon IT system.
Government publishes bill to reverse impact of PACCAR ruling
The Ministry of Justice yesterday published a two-clause bill to overturn the Supreme Court’s ruling in PACCAR and return certainty to litigation funding agreements.
Newly qualified solicitor struck off for false time recording
A newly qualified solicitor who “falsely recorded time across a number of files” to show his law firm that he was meeting his billing target has been struck off.
Lady Chief Justice speaks out in support of cab-rank rule
The Lady Chief Justice yesterday spoke out in support of the cab-rank rule, arguing that without it “law and justice become an arbitrary concept”.
Four out of 10 big law firms have ‘energy-burning’ websites
More than 40% of the top 200 law firms have been awarded an ‘F’ rating (the worst) for the energy used by their websites.
Government rejects multiple calls to reform whiplash claims process
The Ministry of Justice has rejected all but some technical changes to the Official Injury Claim portal put forward by both claimant and defendant representatives.
Strike-off for solicitor who lied to SRA about firm’s closure
A solicitor who lied to the Solicitors Regulation Authority after failing to renew his firm’s professional indemnity insurance has been struck off.
Blog
Information isn’t oversight – lessons from the PM Law review
The PM Law review’s real findings perhaps point to a failure mode applying to any organisation sitting on scattered risk information.
AI can do the work but it cannot inherit the lawyer’s duty
What happens when lawyers delegate cognitive work to AI but remain personally responsible for judgements they may no longer have independently reasoned through?
How to make work experience meaningful
When I had the pleasure of work experience, I made tea, collected lunch and mostly watched someone work. I didn’t bother with the last three days. I am not sure they noticed.
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