Latest news
Claim rejected due to £24 underpayment of court fee
A judge was right to hold that he did not have jurisdiction to allow a claim to proceed out of time where the claimants underpaid the court fee by £24, the High Court has ruled.
Jailed solicitor’s fraud has cost profession £2.7m so far
The SRA Compensation Fund has paid out over £2.7m to clients of the law firm operated by Christopher Michael Bilmes, a solicitor jailed for fraud last month.
Party using freezing order as “means of oppression”, High Court says
A High Court judge has condemned a claimant’s “oppressive and disproportionate” approach to enforcing a defendant’s obligations under a freezing order.
Law firm’s office building to have Europe’s “biggest green wall”
National law firm TLT is relocating its Manchester office next summer to a net-zero office building with Europe’s “biggest green wall”.
Male partner fined £23k for lewd song directed at female trainee
A male partner who sang a song about a trainee solicitor’s vagina, accompanied by lewd gestures, at a Christmas party gathering in a pub has been fined £23,000.
Post Office scandal highlights risk of lawyers “absorbing client’s view”
The Post Office scandal highlights the dangers of lawyers absorbing and reflecting back their client’s view “without sufficient independence and critical detachment”.
Cyber-attack cost conveyancing giant £7m plus lost business
The November 2021 cyber-attack on the Simplify Group – the country’s largest conveyancing business – cost it £6.8m and also suppressed fee income, its annual report has shown.
Opportunities opening up for “long neglected” returners to the law
The legal profession’s growing appetite for hiring career returners is opening up a wealth of opportunities for a talented group of lawyers who have “long been neglected”.
Top Midlands firm is acquisition number 5 for private equity house
The private equity house looking to building a £100m legal services group has taken a major step towards that goal by acquiring leading East Midlands firm Nelsons.
Loss adjuster launches “faster, more integrated” ABS
The largest loss adjuster in the UK has launched an ABS which plans to double in size by the end of this year and expand from property-related claims to personal injury work.
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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