Latest news
Exclusive: Professional services MDP in process of buying law firms
A “holistic” professional services multi-disciplinary practice aimed at filling the “advice gap” for “underserved SMEs” is currently in process of acquiring two commercial law firms.
Lawyers should “actively advise” clients on their environmental impact
Lawyer are not merely “servants of their clients” and should counsel their clients about environmental harms their instructions may lead to, a leading legal academic has argued.
Supreme Court will not hear appeal on professional tribunal members’ pay
The Supreme Court has refused permission to appeal a ruling that a barrister who sat as a tribunal chair for the Nursing and Midwifery Council was a ‘worker’ and entitled to sickness and holiday pay.
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.
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.
Reports
Associates
