Latest news
Law firm owners suspended for accounts breaches dating back to 1980s
The veteran husband and wife owners of a Midlands law firm have been suspended for manifest incompetence after allowing dormant client balances to build up over decades.
CA rejects latest challenge to costs deduction from damages
The time for a client to challenge a solicitor’s deduction from their damages runs from the time the deduction is made, without the client having to agree the specific amount.
Employment law highlights “gender gap” in civil legal justice
Employment law is one of the main areas where women face systemic barriers to seeking civil legal help and legal aid needs to be expanded as a result, a feminist think tank has urged.
New firm looks to create consumer brand after Shoosmiths deal
A law firm connected to a leading financial services claims business has used backing from a litigation funder to acquire Shoosmiths’ private client practice as it plots major growth.
Law firm must pay £13k for head of family’s constructive dismissal
A law firm that tried to change its head of family’s bonus scheme without notice and failed to promote her as agreed must pay her almost £13,000 for breach of contract and constructive dismissal.
CA: Interpreters’ fees are recoverable in fixed-cost PI cases
Interpreters’ fees are recoverable as a disbursement in PI fixed costs cases, without which solicitors may not take on cases for clients who cannot speak English, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
MoJ to increase judges’ pay by twice the amount it offered
The Ministry of Justice has accepted a recommendation that judges receive a pay rise of 7% this year to combat recruitment problems, twice what the government said it could afford.
Proportion of Black judges remains at 1%
The proportion of Black judges in the courts and tribunals has remained at 1%, the same as nine years ago, while the proportion of Asian judges doubled in the same period to 6%.
SRA happy with standards of law firms handling LPAs and deputyships
Law firms are maintaining a good standard of service despite increased demand for lasting powers of attorney and deputyship work, an SRA review has found.
Susskind: AI could crack the problem of unmet legal need
AI will open up the world of legal services to a new generation of consumers by helping them work out how lawyers can assist with their problems, according to Professor Richard Susskind.
Blog
The cost of systemic failure and childbirth injuries
Recent reports show that the NHS has paid almost £3.5bn in medical claims around childbirth injuries over the past six years.
Mazur: when regulators make simple things complicated
What the last six months have shown is that supervision cannot be treated as a background compliance obligation quietly managed somewhere in a firm’s operational processes.
How unstoppable AI is reshaping UK legal practice
At a time when most technology innovation still flows from the US and China, UK lawtech is attracting growing international attention and capital.
