Latest news
Pay returns to top of list for attracting new recruits
Pay has returned to the top of the list for job-hunting lawyers, overtaking flexibility, but most fee-earners are happy where they are, a survey has found.
Solicitor was “manifestly incompetent” in advice to elderly client
A solicitor has admitted manifest incompetence in failing to advise a 92-year-old client to refuse a £60,000 engagement ring and £35,000 car in part-payment of the property he was selling.
Regulator tells conveyancers to prepare for sharp work downturn
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has issued a stark warning to the law firms it regulates to “stress test their businesses for resilience” to a fall of up to 40% in work volumes.
Women barristers closing pay gap a little in some areas of practice
Women barristers are closing the pay gap with their male colleagues in certain practice areas but it remains vast in the higher-earning areas of work, the Bar Council has found.
LSB to consider “alternative configurations” of reserved legal activities
The Legal Services Board is to undertake a “first-principles analysis” of the list of reserved legal activities to consider “potential alternative configurations”.
LSB plans to make it easier for clients to complain to their lawyers
Stronger rules on how clients are informed about their right to complain, and ensuring verbal expressions of dissatisfaction are treated as complaints, are set to be introduced next year.
SRA forced to wait for end of Post Office inquiry to take action
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is going to have to wait until the end of the Post Office inquiry before it can take formal disciplinary action against any lawyers involved in the scandal.
Consumers keen to read reviews of barristers, says Trustpilot
There are only 15 barristers on Trustpilot but their pages are viewed 4,000 times a day by consumers, showing the opportunity for the Bar, a webinar heard last week.
Competition for solicitor apprenticeships “tougher than training contracts”
Competition for six-year solicitor apprenticeships at a leading London law firm is tougher than for training contracts, with a scheme that also gives them experience of the business services teams.
LSB to urge regulatory action in bid to strengthen professional ethics
A greater focus on professional ethics among law students and qualified lawyers, with stronger supervision by regulators, is needed to uphold the rule of law, the Legal Services Board has said.
Blog
The hidden risks in client account reconciliations
The client account reconciliation process will be second nature to most people in legal finance – and so is also a potential area for a problem to be undetected until it becomes serious.
Mentoring the next generation of litigation leaders
As a female lawyer, from the North, with a state school education, I understand the value of sharing perspectives, experiences and contacts.
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.
