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The American Bar Association yesterday stressed its continuing opposition to non-lawyer ownership of law firms, with a key mover claiming it was “protecting the public from profiteers”.

Lawyers of the future could face pressure to augment their “cognitive capacity” through neurotechnology if they want to become partners or meet client demands, a report for the Law Society has speculated.

There is a “growing body of opinion” that conveyancers have a duty of care to advise clients on the risks climate change represents to property, it was claimed today.

There is no implied duty of good faith in a solicitor’s retainer, the Court of Appeal has ruled in rejecting an appeal by a law firm trying to recover £3m in fees from a former client.

A law firm was wrong to make provision in its statutory accounts for all of the money owed by a fixed-share partner, but not when it came to the partners’ accounts, the High Court has ruled.

The widening fault-lines in the US legal profession over alternative business structures (ABSs) are set to be on show this week at the American Bar Association annual conference.

Disciplinary panels hearing cases of judicial misconduct will have lay majorities, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the judiciary have decided, as part of a major overhaul of the system.

Practising fees for solicitors are to increase by 10%, or £10.4m, in the next year, with the practising certificate fee to rise £20, the Law Society and Solicitors Regulation Authority have proposed.

The High Court has upheld a decision to throw out a negligence claim against a law firm because it was served too late – even though the court had actually lost the claim.

A tribunal was wrong to dismiss a discrimination claim against a law firm on the basis of the claimant’s non-attendance at the hearing, the Employment Appeal Tribunal has ruled.