Latest news
SRA and BSB praised for enforcement processes
The Legal Services Board has given both the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board a clean bill of health in the way they enforce their rules.
More unregulated business granted SRA waivers for legal work
Three more unregulated businesses have been given the green light to offer unreserved legal services to the public through practising solicitors, in the new tranche of waivers issued by the regulator.
NAH law firm “set to generate millions” in coming years
The wholly owned alternative business structure being launched next month by NAHL plc is likely take on around 30,000 claims a year by 2023 and generate about £25m in revenue, it has emerged.
Sports law firm launches tech company accelerator
A leading sports law firm has launched an accelerator for high-growth technology companies that offers “a flexible approach to pricing to match the company’s growth curve”.
Judges, not HMCTS, will have “final say” on video hearings
Judges are “embedded” in all the projects that make up the £1bn court modernisation programme and whether hearings are held by video or person will always be a matter of judicial discretion.
Solicitors permanently disqualified as charity trustees
Two solicitors fined by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal last summer have now been permanently disqualified as trustees by the Charity Commission in an unrelated matter.
Jailed paedophile barrister disbarred
A barrister jailed for 20 years after pleading guilty to 37 charges relating to child sexual abuse has been disbarred. John Guess, called in 2000, had been a lawyer for the Welsh government.
Brexit will create “colossal body of law”, Lord Reed predicts
Brexit will create a “colossal body of law for lawyers to get their teeth into”, the deputy president of the Supreme Court, has predicted in wide-ranging evidence given to peers yesterday with the president.
SRA finally names the day when new rulebook comes into force
The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s new rulebook will come into force some six months later than originally expected. Meanwhile, it has unveiled a new push to check firms’ anti-money laundering compliance.
“Some lawyers have been suffering from GDPR fever”
Some lawyers have been suffering from “GDPR fever” over the past year and given bad advice based on limited knowledge or too cautious an approach, a leading data protection law specialist has warned.
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.
