Latest news
SDT lifts restriction on solicitor holding management position in firms
The SDT has lifted part of the conditions imposed on a solicitor suspended for a year a decade ago for multiple rule breaches, allowing him to return to law firm management.
SRA rows back on requiring junior staff to challenge bad behaviour at work
Law firm managers, but not junior staff, are set to have a regulatory obligation to challenge colleagues who treat others unfairly or without respect, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has said.
PE firm adds digital marketing business to law firm acquisitions
Sun Capital – the private equity firm that owns top serious injury law firm Fletchers – has expanded its presence in the law by acquiring a specialist digital marketing agency.
LeO seeks 9.6% budget rise equivalent to £7.20 per solicitor
The Legal Ombudsman is seeking an “inflationary” 9.6% increase in its budget for 2023-24 to £16.8m as it aims to “drastically reduce” the complaints backlog.
Philip: SRA will make full use of unlimited fining power for economic crime
The Solicitors Regulation Authority will make full use of the proposed new power to issue unlimited fines against solicitors and firms caught up in economic crime, its chief executive has warned.
Large PI firm sold in latest post-reform consolidation move
The consolidation of the personal injury market following the whiplash reforms has continued in the North-West with leading firm Express Solicitors acquiring Michael W Halsall.
SRA fines overhaul “of grave concern” to solicitors
There is “much” in how the Solicitors Regulation Authority will implement changes to its fines regime which “should be of grave concern to the profession”, Birmingham Law Society has warned.
Ministry of Justice “reinforced negative race stereotypes” with advert
The Ministry of Justice reinforced “negative stereotypes about black men” in an advertisement for prison officers, the Advertising Standards Authority has ruled.
Knights partner fined after assault and drink-drive convictions
A partner at listed law firm Knights convicted of assault by beating and separately drink driving has been fined £1,700 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Separating couples should “try almost anything” before going to court
Separating couples should “try almost anything” before turning to the courts, the president of the Family Division has said, arguing that there has “got to be a better way” to resolve child disputes in particular.
Blog
Why is Andrew Malkinson still paying for a crime he didn’t commit?
Like many in my profession and beyond, I have been moved by the case of Andrew Malkinson, the man who spent 17 years in prison for an awful crime he did not commit.
What is tech bloat and why is it a problem for law firms?
Too many law firms are adopting shiny new tech without first retiring their legacy systems, causing duplication and unnecessary costs.
The civil courts and the digital divide
Despite the government’s decision to increase Ministry of Justice funding, its budget for 2025-26 is still 14% lower in real terms than in 2007-08.
