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Number of law firms continues to sink despite ever-expanding profession
Law firm consolidation continues apace, with the number of practices in England and Wales falling by 1,200 over the last decade to 9,000, new research has shown.
Digital law firm partners with start-up platform as part of expansion
Digital law firm arch.law has announced a “strategic investment” in Connectd, a platform linking the founders of start-ups, investors and advisers.
Law Commission seeks ban on discrimination in appointing arbitrators
Arbitration agreements requiring that the arbitrator be a “commercial man” or otherwise specifying a protected characteristic will be unenforceable under Law Commission proposals published today.
“Exponential growth” for open-source contract platform
The chief executive of a contract platform which provides businesses with free open-source templates backed by artificial intelligence has reported “exponential growth”.
Barrister “could and should” have stopped offensive tweets being sent
A barrister reprimanded for allowing a Twitter account to send “inappropriate and offensive” tweets to a colleague at the same chambers was not their author, a tribunal has confirmed.
Law firm goes it alone after MDP breaks up
A multi-disciplinary practice launched a year ago to combine legal, finance and conflict resolution advice has reverted to just legal services after the founders found their styles “incompatible”.
Claimant to pay indemnity costs after latest witness statement failure
The High Court has ordered a claimant who seriously breached the rules on witness statements to pay indemnity costs, having exacerbated the situation by dismissing the defendant’s concerns.
Anexo drops interim dividend to invest in emissions cases instead
Anexo Group – the AIM-listed business that combines credit hire and legal services – has seen revenue and profit soar but will not pay an interim dividend so as to invest in attracting more car emissions cases.
Quarter of lawyers could work at fee-share firms “within three years”
Up to a quarter of lawyers could work at fee-share alternative law firms within the next three years at current rates of growth, a detailed analysis has predicted.
Law firm unfairly dismissed conveyancer after inadequate investigation
A Sussex law firm unfairly dismissed a chartered legal executive as a result of “fundamental unfairness” in the investigation of the charges against her, an employment tribunal has ruled.
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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