Latest news
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.
SRA eyes in-house alternative to Solicitors Indemnity Fund after u-turn
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has said it believes “a new consumer protection arrangement within the SRA” was likely to be more cost-effective than retaining the Solicitors Indemnity Fund.
Solicitor found in criminal contempt for “act of colossal stupidity”
A senior City partner who told a client to “burn” a private messaging app after it was served with a search order has been found guilty of criminal contempt of court.
SRA to reinstate annual fee for 60,000 non-practising solicitors
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to go ahead with plans to reintroduce next April an annual application fee of up to £40 for non-practising solicitors who want to stay on the roll.
Judge throws out “career-ending” contempt claim against solicitor
A High Court judge has rejected a potentially “career-ending” contempt application against a solicitor, describing it as “wholly frivolous” and totally without merit.
Claim against solicitors was attempt to relitigate private prosecution
A professional negligence claim against a firm of solicitors in the North-East has been thrown out as an attempt to relitigate an unsuccessful private prosecution.
Government puts £4m behind lawtech adoption push
The Ministry of Justice has committed £4m to the second phase the LawtechUK programme, which aims to increase innovation and the adoption of lawtech in the delivery of legal services.
Large law firms “struggle to give their lawyers a voice”
The largest law firms in the UK and US “struggle to give their lawyers a voice” through thought leadership, new research has found, with smaller firms more effective.
High Court upholds ruling that $3m CFA is unforceable
The High Court has upheld a decision that a law firm which charged its client nearly $3m under an unenforceable conditional fee agreement has to repay the money.
“Duped” solicitor fails in challenge to strike-off
A solicitor “duped” into paying over £1.2m in sale proceeds to third parties in what turned out to be property frauds has failed in his appeal against being struck off.
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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