Latest news
Solicitor used account as bank facility “to save client”
A solicitor acting as a company’s in-house lawyer who said he had to use his client account to make various payments while its bank account was frozen has been sanctioned by the regulator.
Thompsons staves off pay strike with last-minute offer
Trade union firm Thompsons has produced a last-minute offer involving non-monetary benefits and profit shares to stave off staff picketing its offices across the country today in a dispute over pay.
Lawtech start-up investors ready to buy into in-house tech
Lawtech start-ups in the UK are not addressing the needs of in-house corporate counsel, although investors will back them because the sector is viewed as less susceptible to a downturn.
Vote of confidence as Gateley partners extend share-sale limit
Almost all of the share-owning partners at listed law firm Gateley have locked themselves in for a further five years under an agreement that restricts how much of their holding they can sell.
Barristers take over pioneering motor trade law firm
Husband and wife barristers have taken over a niche motor trade law firm this month, which has been offering fixed fees since the 1990s and offers an end-to-end legal service.
Lawyers attack government’s FoI response on whiplash tariff
The Ministry of Justice has provided an unsatisfactory response to a Freedom of Information Act request on how the figures for the new whiplash damages tariff were calculated, lawyers have claimed.
LSB could start reviewing regulators’ disciplinary files
The Legal Services Board could start reviewing regulators’ case files to increase its oversight of the quality of their disciplinary decisions in the wake of the Leigh Day case, it has emerged.
Courts chief: closures weren’t based on “real travelling times”
Many court closures in the past have not been based on the real travelling times it would take people to get to an alternative building, the chief executive of the courts service has admitted.
Leading PI firm plots post-Civil Liability Act growth
One of the country’s largest and fastest-growing personal injury law firms has announced record results and its ambition to expand further despite next year’s Civil Liability Act reforms.
Permanent secretary downplays MoJ’s funding boost
The permanent secretary at the Ministry of Justice has downplayed the recent 4.9% boost to its resources budget, saying it would in part simply help to “keep the lights on”.
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.
