Latest news
ABS platform now hosts five firms after latest acquisition
Law firm platform Bamboo has acquired Midlands-based Hawkins Hatton, making it the fifth practice operating through its umbrella alternative business structure.
Solicitors “should get empathy training”, LSB research suggests
Solicitors should get training in “soft skills/empathy” as part of their continuing professional development, research for the Legal Services Board has suggested.
CLC warns conveyancers over breaching undertakings
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has received “too many complaints” about some of the practices it regulates breaching undertakings.
BSB drops transgender case study from revised social media guidance
The Bar Standards Board has dropped a case study from its revised social media guidance concerning gender-critical views after it was accused of promoting a ‘gender ideology’.
SDT clears ex-trainee of lying to law firm about LPC performance
A former trainee in the London office of a US law firm has been cleared of telling partners he had not failed any legal practice course examinations, when in fact he had.
LSB has “no role” in regulating lawful use of NDAs, Bar Council says
The Legal Services Board has “no role” in “attempting to control or regulate lawyers involved in assisting clients in the lawful use of NDAs”, the Bar Council has said.
SRA shuts down three immigrations firms caught in Daily Mail sting
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has shut down three of the law firms named in a Daily Mail undercover investigation last week after the newspaper provided recordings and transcripts.
Male barrister disbarred for sexually harassing female pupils
A male barrister who told one pupil that she needed to have sex with senior members of the Bar to be successful and another that she was frigid has been disbarred.
Rising PII premium helped put paid to Liverpool claims firm
A number of adverse costs awards against Liverpool law firm High Street Solicitors pushed its insurance premiums up and contributed to its collapse, administrators have revealed.
Firm wins £2.5m claim after client assigns loan to pay outstanding fees
A London law firm that took an assignment of nearly £2.5m owed to a client to pay its fees has been granted summary judgment by the High Court.
Blog
The profession can play a greater role in improving access to justice
In this, the third blog of my series, I focus on what lawyers in the UK can do to improve access to justice through greater professional stewardship.
Does AI work for conveyancers? We asked those on the front line
What is the view on AI from conveyancers themselves? Based on a Dye & Durham’s roundtable discussion on AI, the answer is: it depends.
Is the legal profession ready for agentic AI?
An AI agent is difficult to supervise. By design, it works in the background. It means a solicitor can be held responsible for work they had no real means to oversee.
Reports
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