Latest news
LSB: “Significant concerns” over viability of Legal Ombudsman
The Legal Services Board has expressed “significant concerns about the viability” of the Legal Ombudsman scheme as it struggles to get its caseload under control.
Law firms need to keep “meaningful offline routes” to services
Digitally excluded consumers need law firms to maintain “meaningful offline routes” to services because “digital transformation is not inherently progressive”, says a report for four legal regulators.
Vos eyes machine-made decisions for property disputes
Many property disputes “could be amenable to machine-made decision-making” in the future, the Master of the Rolls has predicted.
“Pre-budget inertia” costs listed law firm £3m
Listed law firm Gateley has estimated that “pre-budget transactional inertia” shrunk its revenue by around £3m, wiping out growth in its corporate department.
Land Registry data puts spotlight on law firm errors
Most of the HM Land Registry customers will avoidable requisition rates of 20% or more are law firms, new figures have revealed.
Government to ratchet up pressure on “corrupt” lawyers
The government yesterday pledged further action to target professional enablers of fraud, like corrupt lawyers, and called for “innovative” approaches to strengthening ethics.
Tribunal lifts restrictions on solicitor who failed to pay PII premiums
The SDT has lifted all restrictions on the future practice of a solicitor who was indefinitely suspended for failing to pay indemnity insurance premiums.
Reports of bullying and harassment by barristers almost double
The number of reports to the Bar Standards Board of bullying and harassment has almost doubled in the last year, the regulator has revealed.
Top litigation funder puts consumer claims fund into liquidation
Katch Fund Solutions – which is funding consumer claims worth hundreds of millions of pounds – has put its litigation fund into liquidation, it has emerged.
Year of M&A talks failed to find partner for historic Midlands firm
Midlands law firm Wright Hassall held talks with 28 possible acquirers or merger partners over the course of a year before being sold in a pre-pack administration to one of them.
Blog
Modern search is about ‘knowledge’ retrieval
Search has long been understood as data retrieval – the ability to call back information and check a box on finding something. Legal professionals today need more of a 360-degree view on a matter.
Lessons from Sir Keir Starmer for SRA chief
The proposed 29%, or £25m, increase in the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s budget announced last week should really come as no great surprise.
The hidden risks in client account reconciliations
The client account reconciliation process will be second nature to most people in legal finance – and so is also a potential area for a problem to be undetected until it becomes serious.
