Latest news
Legal aid lawyers call for government support over Covid-19
Criminal defence solicitors have called for expedited legal aid payments and an extension of the business rate holiday to law firms with contracts to combat the impact of Covid-19.
SRA rebukes Withers for money laundering training delay
Leading London law firm Withers has been rebuked by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for failing to ensure staff received timely anti-money laundering training.
MBO of north-west firm heralds ‘buy and build’ strategy
North-west law firm Jackson Lees Group is the newest consolidator to hit the market, with a management buy-out the prelude to an aggressive nationwide ‘buy and build’ strategy.
SRA: “Solicitors conceal disability for fear of harming careers”
Many disabled solicitors have downplayed the extent of their disability because they don’t trust law firms to treat them equally with their able colleagues, new research has revealed.
Law firm rebuked for breach of undertaking
A law firm in Suffolk has been rebuked by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for breaching an undertaking in a conveyancing transaction.
ABSs diversify to offer clients non-legal services
Southern England commercial law firm EMW has made the first of what it says will be a series of acquisitions of specialist consultancies as it looks to diversify beyond legal work.
Solicitor overlooked AML because client was law firm partner
A solicitor acting in a property transaction has admitted not following anti-money laundering procedures because her client was a partner at a large international law firm.
Flight delays solicitor suspended for “taking shortcuts”
One of the first solicitors to enter the flight delay compensation market expanded his firm too quickly and took “shortcuts in the way he managed the claims”, a tribunal has found.
Ex-consumer panel chief set to return as LeO chair
The Legal Services Board has named the former chair of its consumer panel as its preferred candidate to chair the Office for Legal Complaints, the board of the Legal Ombudsman.
71 bang on the drum for freelance solicitor status
Some 71 solicitors have so far taken advantage of new rules allowing them to practise as freelancers, it has emerged. The SRA is also to issue 20 pieces of new guidance on the STaRs.
Blog
Amplifying reach through employee-driven thought leadership
Nine in 10 executives believe thought leadership is critical to building authority, yet only a quarter feel they have implemented a robust strategy.
Divorce escrow: asset sales before final settlement
When significant matrimonial assets are sold before a final financial order is agreed, holding the proceeds safely and neutrally can present real practical challenges.
AML lacks clarity – and standards are suffering
If firms are buckling under the pressure of AML regulations, subject to ever-increasing fines, then something is clearly not working as it should be.
