Latest news
Conveyancers “need not fear” home buying shake-up
A “single source of truth” that contains all the information about a property before it goes on the market is in the works as part of plans to speed up the home buying and selling process, it has emerged.
Mega-survey highlights need to grow “legal confidence”
The largest legal needs survey ever run in England and Wales shows what a difference professional advice and ‘legal confidence’ among consumers makes to the outcome of their matters.
New law “to put more pressure” on solicitors’ NDA advice
A new law ensuring that employees signing non-disclosure agreements receive independent legal advice will “increase the onus” on solicitors to act properly when drafting them, the government has said.
EU pumps £4m into Welsh legaltech innovation lab
The EU is pumping in £4m to fund an innovation lab at a south Wales law school which will carry out research into artificial intelligence and other legal tech innovations.
7,000 firms to face AML check over compliance concerns
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to check 7,000 law firms’ compliance with anti-money laundering regulations after an initial sweep found that too many were not complying.
Mentally ill man jailed for yelling racist abuse at judge
A mentally ill man has been jailed for 10 days for contempt in the face of the court after yelling racist abuse at a judge at Bristol Magistrates’ Court.
In-house lawyers’ ethics: “Bright spots amid the gloom”
The largest study of the ethics of in-house lawyers ever undertaken has shown a “gloomy picture” of lawyers wedded first to the commercial objectives of the companies they work for.
Government funds study of people behind legaltech
Oxford University has been awarded a government grant of £213,000 to research the people rather than the technology behind the legaltech boom.
“Good reasons” for larger firms to look at listing
There are “many good reasons” for larger law firms to considering listing on the stock market, especially with growing competition from alternative legal services providers, a survey has warned.
Serious misconduct “does not mean automatic strike-off”
A finding of serious misconduct against a solicitor does not require striking off or an immediate suspension from practice, the High Court has ruled.
Blog
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.
From ‘year zero’ to £6.5m – how a law firm found its second life
In 2018, I hit what I call ‘year zero’. On paper, Olliers Solicitors was a top-tier criminal defence firm but beneath the surface, I could see we were at a crossroads.
