Latest news
Barristers “need guidance from chambers on sanctions compliance”
Chambers need to have “mechanisms and guidance in place” to ensure their barristers are complying with UK sanctions, the Bar Standards Board has said.
LeO seeks £1.2m budget increase as complaints numbers rise
The Legal Ombudsman has proposed a 7% increase, or £1.2m, in its budget to nearly £18m next year, with delays at the complaints-handling body set to continue for longer than anticipated.
Sex offender given access to child’s data by law firm found in contempt
A convicted sex offender accidentally given access by a leading law firm to a vulnerable child’s confidential information has been found guilty of contempt for not complying with court orders to delete it.
Fixed costs rules not as simple as we wanted, Birss admits
The deputy head of civil justice has issued a robust defence of the new regime of fixed recoverable costs – while acknowledging it is not as simple as he would like.
Listed firm reaches £500k settlement with fired chief executive
Listed legal business RBG Holdings has reached a £500,000 settlement with its former chief executive, who it fired in January after losing confidence in her.
Beringer: Firms must be publicly accountable for new client decisions
Commercial law firms must be prepared to publicly justify acting for controversial clients and not hide behind professional arguments like access to justice, ex-Allen & Overy senior partner Guy Beringer has said.
MPs launch probe into growing delays in county court
The House of Commons’ justice select committee is to probe the capacity and resources of the county court amid ever-growing delays in how long cases are taking.
Solicitor’s complaint over unfair work allocation “faces problems”
A solicitor who says he made a protected disclosure about the unfair allocation of work at his former firm has been told he will struggle to prove his unfair dismissal claim.
CAT consolidates collective actions in opt-out “milestone”
The Competition Appeal Tribunal has for the first time consolidated two opt-out collective claims in what has been described as a “milestone” for the sector.
Solicitors “have more positive view of their services” than consumers do
There are “several discrepancies” between the quality of the service solicitors believe they are providing and what consumers perceive, research for the SRA has found.
Blog
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.
Recruitment, retention and reward in the legal accounts world
Understanding the legal finance market is important – not just for those actively involved in it day-to-day but also for leaders within law firms.
From ‘year zero’ to £6.5m – how a law firm found its second life
In 2018, I hit what I call ‘year zero’. On paper, Olliers Solicitors was a top-tier criminal defence firm but beneath the surface, I could see we were at a crossroads.
