Latest news
Murder trial resumes with counsel and jury swapping seats
A jury trial resumed at the Old Bailey yesterday, with barristers in the jury and press boxes, and jurors socially distancing in counsel’s rows after being told there were no face masks for them.
£5m fund to support social welfare advice goes live
A fund worth more than £5m to sustain UK social justice advisers through the Covid-19 pandemic – and as a “catalyst for wider renewal” – has gone live today.
Kennedys to launch SQE apprenticeship
City law firm Kennedys is to launch a 30-month ‘graduate solicitor apprenticeship’ when the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) comes into effect in autumn 2021.
Court of Appeal upholds law firm’s Chinese wall
A law firm acting for different defendants against the same claimant does not owe that claimant a true fiduciary duty, and so it does not have to prove its Chinese Wall works, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
Solicitor cleared over alleged confidentiality breach
A solicitor accused of disclosing to a client confidential information about a former client has been cleared of wrongdoing by a disciplinary tribunal.
Junior lawyers “lose confidence” in SRA after Matthews case
Junior lawyers have lost confidence in the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s approach to dealing with inexperienced solicitors who have mental health issues or worked in toxic environments.
Law firms under lockdown: “A train that is running out of puff”
Reduced billing by law firms in April was covered by a parallel fall in costs and arrival of government money, but the lack of new work is going to hurt them badly, according to new research.
Top firms “failing to communicate” own responses to Covid-19
The country’s largest law firms are providing clients with plenty of advice on the legal implications of the Covid-19 crisis but doing little to explain their own response, research has found.
Children seeing parents “distressed” by remote hearings
Children are “coming in and out of the room” during remote family law hearings and in some cases witnessing their “distressed” parents, a major study has found.
IBA urges lawyers to adopt “climate-conscious” approach
Lawyers should take a “climate-conscious approach” to legal practice and advise clients of the risks of worsening the climate crisis, the International Bar Association has declared
Blog
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.
The SRA’s client money reforms: good intentions, questionable execution
On the face of it, the SRA’s plans to tighten protections around client money sounds sensible. The detail, as ever, tells a more complicated story.
Recruitment, retention and reward in the legal accounts world
Understanding the legal finance market is important – not just for those actively involved in it day-to-day but also for leaders within law firms.
