Latest news
First apprentice qualifies as chartered legal executive
A paralegal at listed law firm DWF has become the first chartered legal executive to qualify through an apprenticeship, an appropriate landmark for National Apprenticeship Week.
Law firm discriminated against disabled paralegal
A law firm discriminated against a seriously ill paralegal by dismissing him after only three months while he was on sick leave, an employment tribunal has ruled.
Law lecturers demand delay to SQE
Five associations representing law lecturers and academics have urged the Solicitors Regulation Authority to delay the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam.
Top criminal law firm leads merger rush
Merger activity among law firms continues apace, with deals done across the country – including a leading criminal legal aid practice that has completed two in rapid succession and is on the hunt for more.
Beckwith “not a future risk”, tribunal rules
Former Freshfields partner Ryan Beckwith is not a “future risk” to the public or the profession despite his “inappropriate conduct” with a junior colleague, the SDT has said in its long-awaited ruling.
Lawyers hit back at complaint publication plans
The Law Society and Bar Council have strongly attacked plans by the Legal Ombudsman to extend its publication of information about complaints, arguing that it would not help consumers.
Solicitor sanctioned for dealing with unregulated CMCs
A solicitor who took holiday sickness leads from unregulated claims management companies has been rebuked by his regulator – as has one convicted of assaulting an emergency worker.
Exclusive: Profits rocket at ABS where accountants supply clients
An alternative business structure owned equally by two law firms and an accountancy practice has recorded a 1,200% surge in post-tax profits.
DC lawyers bid to lead the way with ABSs
Lawyers in the US capital Washington DC are the latest in America to try and remove the ban on ABSs, while the president of the American Bar Association is backing efforts to rethink regulation.
Pupils must have written agreements from May
Written pupillage agreements will become compulsory from 1 May 2020, the Bar Standards Board has decreed, while all chambers have to bring their recruitment into line with the pupillage gateway.
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.
