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The Treasury has rejected an argument by the Solicitors Regulation Authority that it needs full separation from the Law Society to avoid any interference in its operation of anti-money laundering rules. Instead it indicated that operational independence – which the regulator already has – was sufficient.

The Legal Services Board is to have a new chair after incumbent Sir Michael Pitt took himself out of the running for a second three-year term, Legal Futures can reveal. His predecessor was appointed for a second term without the position being advertised, but this time there will be an open competition.

City law firm Kennedys has launched an extended version of its virtual defence lawyer, which for the first time enables clients to send cases directly to counsel without the need for a solicitor. The firm is currently building a more advanced version of litigation management system KLAiM using AI.

The director of the claims management company that was the subject of the largest-ever fine handed out by the Claims Management Regulator has accepted a ban from being a director for the next nine years. Meanwhile, the Information Commissioner has executed a search warrant while investigating the illegal access of customer details from a major car repair company.

National Accident Helpline is set to invest in personal injury cases for the first time through alternative business structures, it revealed today. It said the government’s PI reforms would catch “less than” 30% of the enquiries it generated for firms but still meant major changes were needed.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has rebuked and fined £2,000 a solicitor already found by the High Court to be in breach of an undertaking, rejecting the argument that this was an abuse of process.

A solicitor and online legal services pioneer who developed the first automated system for clients to send briefs to counsel, is launching a private client service this summer that “enables people to pick and choose the legal services they need and want to pay for”.

The integrity and reliability of the high-profile process to recruit 100 recorders are “in doubt” after applicants suffered yet more IT problems, the chairman of the Criminal Bar Association has warned. Last month, the Judicial Appointments Commission’s website crashed as 2,500 solicitors and barristers tried to take an online qualifying test.

The days of lawyers as trusted advisers are numbered because a reliable outcome to their issue is more important to clients than a relationship with their lawyer, Professor Richard Susskind has claimed. He also expressed concern about the impact of Brexit on the UK maintaining its focus on a period of unprecedented technological progress.

The decision by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to close its meetings to public and press scrutiny appears to be contrary to its obligations under the Legal Services Act 2007, a leading regulatory solicitor has said. He argued that the SRA is now facing a “crucial credibility test”.