Latest news
Major project to examine legal ethics after the Post Office scandal
A three-year project to understand the ethical problems that arose for lawyers involved in the Post Office scandal, and how they can be avoided in future, has been launched.
Strike-off for solicitor who kept charity in dark while overcharging estate
A solicitor who overcharged a deceased client’s estate by £35,000 and sold his house to a company owned by a trust of which she was a beneficiary has been struck off.
Top judge asks: Why don’t litigators know how much a case will cost?
Litigators should know how much any case is going to cost before they even begin the process of budgeting, Sir Colin Birss, the deputy head of civil justice, has argued.
SDT “went easy” on solicitor who tried to trick farmer out of tenancy
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal was wrong to find that an agricultural law solicitor who used a ‘common’ ruse to trick an opponent was not dishonest.
Judge’s “dismay” at conduct of High Court claim
A High Court judge has expressed her “dismay” that there was no pre-trial review in a case that was discontinued on day four of a trial that had been listed several months earlier.
Big fine for solicitor’s sexual harassment “a clear message”, says SDT
A male City solicitor who sexually harassed a female solicitor at a work event has been fined £30,000 in what a tribunal said was a “clear message” that such behaviour is “completely unacceptable”.
Firm’s failure to pay lawyer’s bonus or promote her was unfair
A law firm that tried to change its head of family’s bonus scheme without notice and failed to promote her as agreed fundamentally breached her contract, a tribunal has ruled.
SQE stands up in the era of ChatGPT, says SRA chief
The Solicitors Qualifying Examination holds up well in the era of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT, the boss of the Solicitors Regulation Authority says today.
Law firms failing to help general counsel stay up-to-date
Most general counsel spend at least five hours a week keeping up-to-date with legal developments but law firms are not delivering the content they need.
Ex-solicitor “tried to fraudulently extract money” from escrow account
A disgraced struck-off solicitor has made a “concerted effort” to fraudulently obtain judgment from two courts in a bid to extract money to which he is not entitled, a court has ruled.
Blog
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.
Linklaters’ chief growth officer takes the ‘blank sheet’ challenge
In the third and final part of this series, Lucy Murphy, chief growth officer at magic circle firm Linklaters, outlines her vision for the law firm of the future.
The ‘blank sheet’ challenge, part 2 – what would you do differently?
In the second part of this blog series, Shainul Kassam, managing director of small London firm Fortune Law, sets out how she would set up a law firm now.
