Latest news
BSB performance in the red as LSB raises SRA enforcement concerns
Pressure on the Bar Standards Board to improve its performance ratcheted up today after it scored by far the worst of all the legal regulators in the Legal Services Board’s annual assessment.
Solicitor fined for handling follow-on property management work
A retired solicitor has been fined £7,500 for using client accounts as banking facilities over decades to handle property management work for Arab clients.
US lawyer urged clients to infect opposing counsel with “nasty disease”
A US lawyer advised his clients to have someone with Covid or another “highly infectious, nasty disease” lick and handle an envelope being sent to opposing counsel, it has emerged.
“Underappreciated” associates want to leave law firms
“Feeling underappreciated” is the most common reason why associates want to leave their law firms, a study has found, with women more likely than men to be looking to change jobs.
Solicitor can sue ex-firm for misuse of private WhatsApp messages
The High Court has rejected a law firm owner’s attempt to “stifle” a misuse of private information claim by a junior solicitor he dismissed by applying to have her case struck out.
New Bar chair calls on Ministry of Justice to review LSB
The new chair of the Bar Council has called on the Ministry of Justice to review the Legal Services Board, prompting a tart response from the oversight regulator.
Mid-sized law firms “could save £400,000 a year” from digitisation
Medium-sized law firms could save around £400,000 every year and reduce carbon emissions by digitising paperwork, research has estimated.
Costs lawyers call for revived remuneration certificate procedure
The Association of Costs Lawyers has proposed working with the Law Society and Legal Ombudsman to revive a 1990s procedure as an alternative way for clients to challenge smaller solicitors’ bills.
Law firm did not discriminate against disabled paralegal
An employment tribunal has rejected disability discrimination claims made against a Welsh law firm by a paralegal dismissed after just nine days for his poor timekeeping.
Solicitor agrees to leave roll over advice to disgraced bishop
A solicitor who acted in a conflict of interest when advising a then bishop over allegations of sexual misconduct was “partly” to blame for the Church of England not taking stronger action against him.
Blog
The profession can play a greater role in improving access to justice
In this, the third blog of my series, I focus on what lawyers in the UK can do to improve access to justice through greater professional stewardship.
Does AI work for conveyancers? We asked those on the front line
What is the view on AI from conveyancers themselves? Based on a Dye & Durham’s roundtable discussion on AI, the answer is: it depends.
Is the legal profession ready for agentic AI?
An AI agent is difficult to supervise. By design, it works in the background. It means a solicitor can be held responsible for work they had no real means to oversee.
Reports
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