Latest news
Duty solicitor drove to police station over drink limit
An experienced duty solicitor who drove to advise at a police station while over the drink-drive limit has been rebuked and fined £2,000 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Firms refunding clients because of “overcharging” lawyer
Two US law firms are refunding clients after a lawyer admitted that he had subtly padded his fees to meet billing targets, according to a disciplinary case that has been launched against him.
Gordon Dadds raises 15% more than planned in share placing
Listed law firm Gordon Dadds ended up raising 15% more than the minimum it hoped for from yesterday’s share placing, even though the move wiped a quarter off the company’s value.
Top judge urges family lawyers to curb late emails for sake of wellbeing
Limits on how early or late lawyers can email each other may be needed to avoid burn-out given the “remorseless” pressure the system is under, the president of the Family Division has suggested.
High Court dismisses depressed solicitor’s appeal against strike-off
The High Court has rejected an appeal by a former solicitor who claimed that the disciplinary tribunal which struck him off should have dismissed the prosecution because of his mental ill-health.
Barrister who failed to pass on fees to colleague suspended
A public access barrister who failed to pass on fees payable to a colleague has been suspended by a disciplinary tribunal. She was given a further suspension for not telling a client about a court order.
Listed law firm raises £10m acquisition warchest
Listed law firm Gordon Dadds Group today announced its intention to raise £10m from institutional shareholders to help fund its increasingly international acquisition strategy.
Conveyancing referral fee rules given year to work to avoid ban
New rules requiring estate agents to be transparent about referral fees received from conveyancers will have a year to prove themselves or a ban will be back on the table, the housing minister has said.
LSB rules “could stop Law Society from criticising SRA”
The Law Society has said it is “deeply concerned” that new rules proposed by the Legal Services Board could largely prevent it from either lobbying or criticising the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Getting it right first time: LeO rolls out new complaints approach
A new operational model for handling complaints, piloted last year by the Legal Ombudsman, has boosted quality and efficiency, and helped it get “the work right first time”.
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.
