Latest news
Two-thirds of law firms breaking residual balance rules
A leading firm of accountants says two-thirds of law firms whose books it examined for regulatory reports had broken the rules on residual balances.
“Weed out chancers” with £50 Legal Ombudsman complaint fee
The Legal Ombudsman should introduce a nominal complaint fee of £50 to “weed out those whom one might describe as ‘chancers’”, Birmingham Law Society has proposed.
Solicitor who lied to client “to buy herself time” is struck off
A solicitor who admitted lying to a client about receiving a medical report “to buy herself time” has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Class action lawyers “may be more interested” in fees than clients
The Competition Appeal Tribunal is “alert” to the possibility that revenue streams are the priority for lawyers and funders where they, rather than the claimants, initiate class actions.
Conveyancers need reform of Building Safety Act “minefield”
Reform of building safety regulations may encourage professional indemnity insurers to remove their block on conveyancers advising on certain transactions, CILEX has told the government.
SDT rejects managing partner’s bid to blame junior solicitor for errors
A managing partner has failed to convince the SDT to blame the one-year qualified solicitor he was supervising for failures on a conveyancing transaction at an undervalue.
Land Registry needs to ditch “quasi-legal” culture, review finds
HM Land Registry needs to shift from a “quasi-legal” culture to one that is more consumer friendly given the changing nature of the home-buying process, according to a review.
AI use gaining ground rapidly across legal profession
Six out of 10 lawyers are using GenAI for work purposes and most of the rest plan to use it, with small law firms twice as likely as larger practices to “rely heavily on AI for day-to-day work”.
Acquisition number 15 for Gateley as it beefs up IP practice
Gateley has made the 15th acquisition since it listed just over a decade ago by buying intellectual property law firm Groom Wilkes & Wright for up to £9m.
NHS Resolution to launch neutral evaluation scheme
NHS Resolution has announced the launch of a neutral evaluation scheme and awarded the first two contracts to CEDR and Trust Mediation.
Blog
The UK’s global leadership in lawtech is at risk if women are left behind
Tech has the equivalent of an old boy’s network. That makes it harder for women to break in. It also makes it harder when it comes to networking, finding backers and ultimately clients.
How legal judgement is shifting in in-house practice
Across UK organisations, legal teams are now involved earlier in decision-making, often before proposals have taken a settled shape.
AI in family law – drawing the line for clients and lawyers
AI is becoming increasingly intertwined with family law. Clients are using it to draft initial enquiries, prepare statements and, in some cases, to support themselves as litigants in person.
