Latest news
Breach of SRA rules must be “sufficiently serious” to be misconduct
A solicitor’s breach of their regulatory obligations will only amount to misconduct if it is “sufficiently serious”, the Court of Appeal ruled yesterday.
Major PE-backed law firms unveil latest acquisitions
Two fast-growing private equity-backed law firms in the North-West have unveiled acquisitions to boost their Court of Protection and personal injury practices respectively.
Claimant law firms launch Consumer Legal Association
Claimant lawyers representing consumers, particularly in personal injury and medical negligence cases, have launched a new trade body – the Consumer Legal Association.
AI helping judges avoid jigsaw identification and inconsistencies
Artificial intelligence is helping judges avoid jigsaw identification of individuals when anonymising judgments, the Chancellor of the High Court has said.
Solicitor cleared of misleading client and firm over LPAs
A solicitor accused of misleading her client and her firm about delays in registering lasting powers of attorney has been cleared, with her firm placing too much on her shoulders.
MP rails at “dishonest” solicitors involved in ad-spoofing
An MP has branded law firms that benefit from so-called ad-spoofing as “dishonest” and unethical, and called for action against them in a parliamentary debate last week.
Under-fire tax barrister handed 18-month interim suspension
The barrister whose £8m claim against high-profile tax lawyer Dan Neidle was ruled the first statutory SLAPP has been handed an interim suspension until September 2027.
Hourly billing not dead, says firm offering fixed-rate subscription
A fast-growing law firm has launched a subscription service for SMEs that focuses solely on fixing hourly rates – starting at £250 an hour for clients that sign up for a year.
Call to shift “modest” solicitor-client costs disputes from court to LeO
Costs disputes between solicitors and their clients worth up to £50,000 should be dealt with by the Legal Ombudsman and not the courts, the Civil Justice Council has proposed.
SRA unveils plan for beefed-up continuing competence regime
A beefed-up continuing competence regime for solicitors, including mandatory record-keeping and discussions about ethics has been laid out by the SRA.
Blog
Modern search is about ‘knowledge’ retrieval
Search has long been understood as data retrieval – the ability to call back information and check a box on finding something. Legal professionals today need more of a 360-degree view on a matter.
Lessons from Sir Keir Starmer for SRA chief
The proposed 29%, or £25m, increase in the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s budget announced last week should really come as no great surprise.
The hidden risks in client account reconciliations
The client account reconciliation process will be second nature to most people in legal finance – and so is also a potential area for a problem to be undetected until it becomes serious.
