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Solicitor hid 743 cheques worth £233,000 in filing cabinet
A veteran solicitor who signed but then kept 743 cheques worth £233,000 in a filing cabinet in his office, rather than using them to pay disbursements and other liabilities, has been struck off.
Employed barristers “undervalued” by wider profession
There is a “strong feeling” that employed barristers are undervalued by their self-employed colleagues, but the employed Bar scored higher for diversity, flexible working and wellbeing.
“Difficult to see” future for unbundled conveyancing
It is “difficult to see” unbundled conveyancing services working, even if there is consumer demand for them, the chief executive of the Council for Licensed Conveyancers has said.
New chair a “dominating issue” for Legal Services Board
The arrival of a new chair of the Legal Services Board, taking up the post in April, is the “dominating issue” in its governance, a report by external consultants has found.
Listed law firm’s chief executive used racially offensive term
The former chief executive of listed London law firm Rosenblatt used a highly offensive racial term at a dinner attended by a Black lawyer, an employment tribunal has revealed.
SDT orders client who brought case against City solicitors to pay £291k in costs
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has ordered a former client of City firm Simmons & Simmons to pay costs of £291,000 after throwing out his private prosecution of two of its solicitors.
PE-backed conveyancing giants shying away from acquisitions
The bosses of two of the UK’s largest conveyancing firms, both backed by private equity, said yesterday that growth by acquisition was not high on their agendas.
Wikipedia information “undermining quality of judgments”
The widespread use of online source Wikipedia by senior judges could mean fake information spreading, leading to bad judgments, research has warned.
Strike-off for solicitor whose fake PI claim “shattered public trust”
A solicitor who “shattered” public trust in the profession by making a fake personal injury claim through the law firm where he worked has been struck off.
Top law firms invest in content marketing “which does not work”
A “significant proportion” of large law firms are investing in content or ‘inbound’ marketing schemes that “simply do not work as they should” and could even be damaging their reputation.
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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