Latest news
One in seven female solicitors suffer bullying or discrimination
One in seven female solicitors have experienced bullying, discrimination and harassment in the workplace over the past year, while there is also a large gender pay gap, Law Society research has revealed.
Week 3 of lockdown: Dark clouds of cash flow gather
Week three of lockdown saw the start of a cash squeeze on law firms, with no money yet from the government, and predictions of a grim summer, according to research.
Firm did not discriminate against assistant sacked after three days
A conveyancing assistant dismissed by a law firm for turning up late on each of her first three days was not a victim of sex discrimination, an employment tribunal has ruled.
Susskind: No return to old ways after Covid-19 crisis
Many of the technologies and techniques that have been “forged in the heat” of the coronavirus crisis will usurp old ways of practising when life returns to normal, Professor Richard Susskind has predicted.
Firm that was ‘future of criminal practice’ is wound up
A North-East law firm that pitched itself as the future of criminal legal aid practice a decade ago by combining barristers and solicitors was formally wound up last month.
Ex-Linklaters partner urges big firms not to furlough staff
A former Linklaters partner now researching ethics at big law firms has urged them not to furlough or make staff redundant if the goal is to maintain partner profitability levels.
Solicitor let firm “dissolve into complete mess”
A sole practitioner who let his law firm “dissolve into a complete mess” – with his removal from lenders’ panels the major factor behind his financial problems – has been fined £7,500.
Fine for barrister who took 15 months to pay fine
An unregistered barrister and solicitor who took 15 months to pay a £500 fine levied by the Bar Standards Board has been reprimanded – and ordered to pay another £500.
Fee-earners “generate little profit” for SME law firms
Just under 90% of fees generated by fee-earners at small and medium-sized law firms last year were used to cover their costs, Law Society research has found.
“Release QC money” to support Bar during Covid-19
The Bar Council has been urged to call in its share of the surplus held by QC Appointments to support barristers struggling during the coronavirus pandemic, as the Inns of Court looks at measures too.
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.
