Latest news
Solicitor who lied to firm over gifts from client is struck off
A solicitor who lied about gifts he received from a client has been struck off, with a tribunal finding that he had embarked on an “elaborate deception” of his employer involving a fake invoice.
“Cruel” solicitor jailed for stealing from severely injured clients
A struck-off solicitor who admitted stealing more than £700,000 from two vulnerable people while in practice has been jailed for four years.
Clifford Chance urges City firms to back anti-corruption pledge
Clifford Chance is to initiate discussions amongst the large London firms “to ratchet up what we can all do to counter corruption”, the firm’s general counsel has revealed.
FCA tells insurers and banks to respect CMCs
Insurers and others dealing with CMCs must provide the same service that they would when dealing directly with the customer, the FCA has warned ahead of taking over CMC regulation.
LeO to focus on improving quality – but delays remain
The Legal Ombudsman is to focus on improving the quality of its decision making as its caseload falls from 8,000 to a predicted 7,400 in 2019-20. But delays continue to dog the service.
Conveyancer who overcharged for search fees is suspended
A conveyancing solicitor who worked on a commission basis has been suspended for two years after being found to have regularly overcharged clients for search fees.
Lewis case: “Wishing death on neo-Nazis” went too far
High-profile media solicitor Mark Lewis was subject to “extreme provocation” on Twitter, but the tweets he sent in response did not live up to the profession’s standards, the SDT has ruled.
Solicitor “led judge to believe” she was a barrister
An experienced solicitor-advocate has been struck off for misleading a judge that she was a barrister and then misleading the solicitors on the other side who questioned her behaviour.
QC appointment reforms aim to help women apply
Changes to the QC appointment regime aimed to help women apply for silk are to be introduced for the 2019 round, the body in charge of the scheme has announced.
Start-up aims to help NFP sector identify legal nature of problems
An AI-backed product that uses natural language processing to help not-for-profit agencies identify precisely the legal nature of a problem is set to launch next year.
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.
