Latest news
Lawyers resolve most complaints themselves under LeO pilot
Lawyers testing the Legal Ombudsman’s model complaints resolution procedure resolved most of the complaints themselves, it has emerged.
Vos: Legal education needs “complete rethink” in age of machine justice
There needs to be “a complete re-think of how we prepare our young lawyers for practice in the machine age”, the Master of the Rolls said yesterday.
High Court broadens scope of legal advice privilege
The High Court has widened legal advice privilege to all internal documents created by the client where the dominant purpose is to seek legal advice, even if they would not actually be sent to a lawyer.
SME law firms reduce reliance on client account interest
SME law firms performed strongly last year, making good profits without relying on client account interest and controlling their overheads well, according to new research.
Licensed conveyancers embrace employee ownership
A law firm in Nottinghamshire founded in 1888 has become the first regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers to transfer to employee ownership.
BBC sting heaps pressure on immigration lawyers and SRA
A BBC undercover investigation has again thrown the spotlight on immigration lawyers, claiming that “a shadow industry of law firms and advisers” is helping migrants bring bogus asylum cases.
Government sets out conditions for ‘excepted’ NDAs
The government has proposed detailed conditions which would allow employers and workers to sign NDAs relating to harassment or discrimination in strictly limited situations.
SRA “wants conversation about who handles complaints about solicitors”
The SRA “would love to have a conversation” about whether the responsibility for handling complaints should continue to be split with the Legal Ombudsman, MPs have heard.
Prison sentence for former executor who refused law firm’s requests
The High Court has imposed a suspended prison sentence on a former executor who failed to comply with court orders by not providing information to a law firm.
Declarations on AI in witness statements “would reduce efficiency”
Making litigators declare that they did not use AI in preparing witness statements would “reduce the efficiency that AI has introduced in certain tasks”, says APIL.
Blog
Modern search is about ‘knowledge’ retrieval
Search has long been understood as data retrieval – the ability to call back information and check a box on finding something. Legal professionals today need more of a 360-degree view on a matter.
Lessons from Sir Keir Starmer for SRA chief
The proposed 29%, or £25m, increase in the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s budget announced last week should really come as no great surprise.
The hidden risks in client account reconciliations
The client account reconciliation process will be second nature to most people in legal finance – and so is also a potential area for a problem to be undetected until it becomes serious.
