Latest news
AG tells government lawyers to be more like those in private practice
New guidance on the advice given by government lawyers aims to instil a more “private sector” approach to client service seen in law firms, the Attorney General said yesterday.
Solicitors could be jailed for new property register failures
Solicitors could be jailed or fined for failures in the way they verify entries on the register of overseas entities, which went live yesterday.
Court criticises leading City firm for major e-disclosure failure
A High Court judge has criticised City law firm Fieldfisher for its failings in overseeing an e-disclosure exercise where 800,000 documents were missed, leading to a trial being adjourned for two years.
Barristers should avoid “supportive” comments after winning cases
Barristers who win cases on behalf of causes they back should avoid making “supportive” comments or risk undermining their independence, the vice-chair of the Bar Council has warned.
“Uneconomic”: NAH stops accepting tariff-only whiplash claims
National Accident Helpline has stopped accepting road traffic claims which only attract tariff damages through the Official Injury Claim portal, its listed parent company revealed today.
Litigation funding “explosion” driving class actions across Europe
The “explosive growth” of litigation funding is behind an increase in class actions across Europe over the past two years, a report by the law firm CMS has argued.
Court of Appeal warns of “perverse incentives” from litigation funding
The Court of Appeal yesterday highlighted the importance of judicial control over costs to ensure that the involvement of third-party litigation funders does not create perverse incentives.
Ince in emergency fund-raise with cost of cyber-attack put at £5m
Shares in listed law firm Ince Group collapsed to their lowest-ever level yesterday after it said a £8.6m fund-raise was needed to ward off financial problems. Its chief executive is also set to quit.
Barrister compliance with transparency rules increases sharply
The Bar has improved its compliance with the rules on transparency and more consumers are shopping around for potential providers, Bar Standards Board research has found.
SDT rejects restoration plea 21 years after strike off
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has refused to allow an immigration solicitor to be restored to the roll 21 years after he was struck off for accounts rule breaches.
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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