Latest news
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.
Groups join forces to launch #SupportingSolicitors campaign
A new campaign, #SupportingSolicitors, has been launched to promote the help available to solicitors facing professional and personal challenges. It goes live today at the start of Mental Health Awareness Week.
Government consults on law underpinning smart contracts
The UK has launched the first step in its bid to make English law the bedrock of a future where digital smart contracts and distributed ledger technology are the norm in the global trading of goods.
Inns of Court to re-enter training market with new Bar course
The Inns of Court are to re-enter the student training market and become the first to unveil plans to deliver the new Bar training course at a price 30% cheaper than the current BPTC as it is not-for-profit.
McFarlane eyes national wellbeing standards for family lawyers
A national template of working practices in the family courts – dealing with issues such as how late lawyers can email each other – could be developed to protect their wellbeing, a top judge has said.
Blog
Why is Andrew Malkinson still paying for a crime he didn’t commit?
Like many in my profession and beyond, I have been moved by the case of Andrew Malkinson, the man who spent 17 years in prison for an awful crime he did not commit.
What is tech bloat and why is it a problem for law firms?
Too many law firms are adopting shiny new tech without first retiring their legacy systems, causing duplication and unnecessary costs.
The civil courts and the digital divide
Despite the government’s decision to increase Ministry of Justice funding, its budget for 2025-26 is still 14% lower in real terms than in 2007-08.
