Latest news
Judges to be disciplined by lay majority panels
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.
Law Society and SRA to recoup extra £10m from solicitors
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.
Claim against law firm lost by court still thrown out for late service
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.
EAT reinstates discrimination claim against law firm
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.
Judge overrides Essex firm’s objections to move case to Leeds
The liaison judge for the Administrative Court in the north has rejected an appeal from an Essex law firm that said it was not “convenient” for a case to be transferred from London to Leeds.
New conveyancing ABS using chatbot to cut transaction times
A conveyancing alternative business structure launched last month aims to cut transaction times by at least a month, using a chatbot to help clients complete a seller’s pack.
Simpson Millar exits most of private client in profitability push
National firm Simpson Millar is to exit private client services except for personal injury and family law as part of a major restructure sparked in part by the introduction next year of fixed recoverable costs.
CMA orders break-up of property search giant
The merger of two of the four big property search providers “substantially lessens competition”, the Competition and Markets Authority has decided, ordering Dye & Durham to sell TM Group.
MPs’ watchdog takes on barristers too as new BSB chair
Kathryn Stone is to add overseeing the conduct of barristers to her current role as MPs’ watchdog after she was appointed chair of the Bar Standards Board.
OIC mixed claims: 14 months on and still no nearer the Court of Appeal
Little progress has been made in the plan to take test cases of so-called mixed claims from the Official Injury Claim portal to the Court of Appeal, it admitted yesterday.
Blog
Your website is losing clients before they even pick up the phone
Your website visitor is likely already carrying stress before they arrive. If your site adds to it rather than relieves it, you have likely lost a prospective client.
The growing importance of higher limits in personal ATE
While the personal litigation market is undergoing a period of significant change as claims become more complex, much of the ATE insurance market has remained relatively static.
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.
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