Latest news
Barrister suspended for breaking man’s jaw with hockey stick
A barrister convicted of grievous bodily harm after breaking a hotel receptionist’s jaw with a hockey stick while drunk has been suspended by a tribunal – having qualified as a solicitor in the meantime.
Legal Ombudsman hires new leadership team
The Legal Ombudsman has brought in an experienced public services ombudsman and a senior civil servant to lead its management through the next phase of reform.
Price transparency “dispelling fears” about cost of legal services
The rules on price transparency are dispelling consumers’ pre-conceptions that legal services are unaffordable and many are now shopping around online, new research has claimed.
Solicitors to have vote on reform of Law Society council
Solicitors are to be balloted on changes to the make-up of Law Society council and limits on how long members can sit on it, at a cost of about £30,000, following a divided AGM yesterday.
LSB “forced” accountants to withdraw from legal services regulation
It was “fundamentally wrong” for Legal Services Board rules to force the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants to withdraw from legal services, another accountancy body has argued.
Remote hearing success means no backlog in some family courts
The family court system has adapted so well to remote working that some courts do not have a backlog of cases, the president of the Family Division said yesterday.
High Court upholds order to stop barrister from acting
The High Court has upheld a highly unusual order prohibiting counsel from continuing to act for the father in a bitter child custody dispute because of acrimony between her and the mother.
Ethics worry with lawyers and lawtech firms “not speaking same language”
Solicitors are concerned that some new legal technology they buy does not take into account their professional rules and ethical duties because lawtech firms are “not speaking the same language”.
New hub to aid Black founders with scaling up businesses
Two entrepreneurial Black lawyers are co-founding a network to “encourage, support and develop” scalable, high-growth professional services businesses founded and run by Black people.
Legal Ombudsman urges CMA to extend reach to unregulated firms
The Office for Legal Complaints, the governing body of the Legal Ombudsman, has renewed its call for it to be allowed to extend its reach to unregulated legal services providers.
Blog
Awaab’s Law phase 2: New hazards council tenants can now claim for
The conversation on housing disrepair is moving beyond damp and mould alone. With the rollout of phase 2 of Awaab’s Law, the scope of issues covered is expanding significantly,
Beyond PCP: Can regulators and lawyers work better together next time?
Nearly a decade after the Financial Conduct Authority began investigating the car finance industry, the story of the PCP commission scandal is still unfinished.
Accountability has to live within governance, not with one person
The assumption has long been that a COLP or COFA is personally exposed to the consequences of anti-money laundering breaches.
