Latest news
Solicitor jailed for 21 years over sex offences struck off
A solicitor has been struck off after being jailed for 21 years for sexual offences, in which he used his professional status to hide his actions.
Solicitor “lived in property bought by estate she was administering”
A solicitor who bought an investment property with money from an estate and then lived in it, and also billed 68 hours for one day’s work, has been struck off.
Online will providers 77% cheaper than solicitors
Online will providers are 77% cheaper than solicitors on average, new research has found, while the value of wills and probate services is set to increase by £200m to £1.5bn by 2023.
Barristers becoming as vulnerable to cyber-attacks as solicitors
Increased use of technology at the Bar and in the court system has left barristers as vulnerable to cyber-attacks as solicitors, the Bar Standards Board has warned.
Think tank: MoJ budget “to keep falling for years to come”
The Ministry of Justice is among the government departments “facing further large budget cuts over the next five years” on the basis of this week’s Budget, a leading think tank has predicted.
SDT “should have adjourned” hearing involving bipolar man
The SDT should have adjourned a hearing at which it banned a law firm marketing chief from the profession for accepting kick-backs from referral fees, the High Court has ruled.
Mystery shoppers: Law firms good face-to-face but not on phone
Law firms are still underperforming when dealing with potential clients on the telephone rather than face-to-face, a mystery shopping survey has found.
‘Justice campaign’ needs new approach, say experts
Lawyers have been urged to look at radical new approaches to ‘rebrand’ justice so as to build public and political understanding of its value.
Robot judges less likely than AI-assisted judges, QC predicts
Artificial intelligence is likely to be used to lower the cost and increase the speed of judicial decisions, a QC specialising in IT and algorithms has predicted.
Solicitor paid B&B and caravan park income into client account
A solicitor who paid over £100,000 in income from her bed and breakfast and caravan park businesses into her firm’s client account has been fined £15,000.
Blog
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.
Motor finance – the FCA is more worried about banks than consumers
The Financial Conduct Authority’s motor finance redress scheme announced last week amounts to one of the largest ever consumer failures by the regulator.
