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Trainee conveyancer “used skills” in school place fraud
A trainee conveyancer who used her professional skills to forge sale contracts and tenancy agreements to try and get her son into an in-demand school has been handed a suspended jail sentence.
Solicitor handed record SRA fine for accounts rules breaches
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has fined a senior partner £18,750 for accounts rules breaches – the biggest fine for an individual since the regulator was given increased powers last year.
General counsel used Covid as “opportunity to go off-panel”
A lot of general counsel used the pandemic as an “opportunity to go off-panel” and instruct boutique law firms and alternative legal services providers, a leading law firm adviser has said.
Prospects of recovery for Pure Legal creditors owed £53m diminishing
The prospects of creditors of Pure Legal being repaid are diminishing, with claims from unsecured creditors now topping £40m, its administrators have revealed.
Law firm had “every right” to terminate retainer, judge rules
A law firm had “every right” to terminate its retainer with a clinical negligence client when presented with evidence from the defendant that she had lied about the severity of her symptoms.
MR on fixed costs extension: “I hope it works”
The Master of the Rolls has said he believes the extension of fixed recoverable costs (FRCs) to many cases worth up to £100,000 in October is “a good thing” and “I hope it works”.
Law firm CEO “saved £300,000” by recruiting lawyers on LinkedIn
The former chief executive of Brethertons has described how he saved the firm up to £300,000 in recruitment fees by finding lawyers himself on LinkedIn.
Supreme Court agrees to hear insurer appeal on OIC mixed injuries
The Supreme Court has granted the insurance industry permission to appeal the Court of Appeal ruling on mixed injury claims in the Official Injury Claim portal.
Claim against law firm lost by court can proceed, appeal judges rule
A claim against a law firm thrown out for being served too late can now proceed after the Court of Appeal held that the claim form was sealed with the wrong date.
Pandemic experience has given lawyers more confidence in tech
The experience of the pandemic has given lawyers greater confidence in innovation and technology, leading to a “step change” in their use over the past three years, major research has found.
Blog
Regulate sole practices on evidence, not turnover
For a sole practice, the SRA’s plan that I cannot hold a compliance role if my firm has more than £600,000 of turnover is not a measure of risk. It is a ceiling on growth.
Is Google becoming pay-to-play for law firms?
For years, law firms have been told that SEO is the long-term alternative to paying for every click. That principle hasn’t disappeared but search results have changed significantly.
Material information and the case for intelligent client onboarding
Upfront information means work traditionally undertaken after an offer is accepted will need to happen earlier. And that fundamentally changes the role of client onboarding.
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