Latest news
Give clients a cost benefit analysis of their cases, LeO says
Lawyers must provide their clients with a cost benefit analysis so they can understand the choices available to them, the Legal Ombudsman has said, also warning lawyers to be “crystal clear” over charges.
DWF partners donate £2m in shares to charitable foundation
The partners of listed law firm DWF have donated 1.8m shares, currently worth £2.1m, to its charitable foundation. The award will enable the DWF Foundation to expand and sustain its grant-giving.
British lawyers more likely to be bullied, global survey finds
British lawyers are more likely to be bullied in the workplace than their colleagues elsewhere in the world, the largest ever global study of bullying and sexual harassment in the legal profession has found.
Court modernisation has yet to deliver – and might never, warn DJs
Judges on the frontline of the court modernisation programme has expressed “serious concerns” that the £1bn committed to the reforms will run out before they can be completed.
Solicitor “paid £1.5m in salaries from client account”
The boss of a high street law firm who paid over £1.5m in staff salaries from client account over more than five years has agreed to leave the profession. She blamed salary software for what happened.
Lawyer-matching service aims to harness “economic power” of GCs
A former general counsel and City partner has launched an online service that aims to simplify and speed up the way in-house lawyers instruct external law firms.
“Too kind” solicitor struck off for backdating EPA to save client money
An experienced solicitor who tried to save an elderly client the cost of updating her power of attorney by dishonestly purporting to have witnessed it seven years earlier, has been struck off.
Sole practitioners ‘more profitable than small firms’
Sole practitioners have overtaken small firms with two to four partners in terms of profit per equity partner, a survey has found. Sole practitioners also led the way in fee income growth compared to larger firms.
Licensed conveyancers set for practising fees cut
The body that regulates licensed conveyancers is looking at steep reductions in the cost of practising, arguing that “good regulation does not have to come with an onerous price tag”.
Law firm central to scheme that lost ‘hotel room’ investors £52m
A dubious ‘hotel room’ investment scheme involving a law firm cost nearly 900 investors up to £52m, a decision of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has revealed.
Blog
Small steps, big impact: how SME law firms are making legal tech work
For SME law firms, the priority is turning the potential of tech into measurable impact: success is driven not just by the technology, but by how firms approach planning and implementation.
Why housing disrepair claims against councils have leapt by nearly 400%
Housing disrepair claims against councils have surged dramatically in recent years, with some areas reporting increases approaching a staggering 400%.
Client accounts: Opportunity, obligation and the risks in between
The profitability gap between well-run firms and the rest is not primarily a function of size, location or practice area – it is a function of financial management.
