Latest news
Raleys ruling “good news for law firms and their insurers”
Yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling on solicitors’ professional negligence is good news for both law firms and their insurers, and should stem the flow of claims about the under-settlement of PI cases.
£3.5m legal spend on London’s Garden Bridge detailed
Lawyers were paid £3.5m on the project to build a garden bridge across the River Thames in London, which was abandoned before it was built, a full breakdown of spend has shown.
Solicitor struck off for misconduct prior to qualification
A solicitor has been struck off for taking money from a friend while he was a trainee and then suing her for more. It was accepted that the SRA principles applied to his conduct before he qualified.
Supreme Court overturns law firm negligence decision
The Supreme Court has overturned a Court of Appeal ruling that a negligent law firm should have to compensate its former client for failing to make a claim.
SDT: Solicitor “terrified” by Court of Appeal was incompetent
A criminal law solicitor who described himself as “absolutely terrified” by a Court of Appeal appearance was incompetent but not dishonest, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has concluded.
“Far removed from fat cats” – High Court praises lawyers
Lawyers acting pro bono in a complex family law case countered the stereotyped image of ‘fat cats’, a High Court judge has said in praising their “commitment to the delivery of justice”.
Companies using contract AI to help with Brexit and GDPR
More than a quarter of corporations using artificial intelligence software to review contracts are doing so for Brexit-related reasons but the technology will not remove the need for lawyers.
Solicitor paid himself over £800k from litigation funding schemes
A solicitor who paid himself £817,000 out of litigation funding schemes set up to back his law firm has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
From 100% to 37% – huge variation in LPC providers’ pass rates
Some institutions teaching the legal practice course have recorded 100% pass rates, while others are under 50%, and a performance gap based on student ethnicity continues.
“Less talk, more action” needed to tackle female barrister crisis
There needs to be less talk and more action to tackle the “crisis” of female criminal law barristers leaving the profession, the head of the Criminal Bar Association has argued.
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.
