Latest news
Client-care letters “failing” consumers, research finds
Many client-care letters get the lawyer/client relationship off on the wrong foot, reinforcing preconceptions of lawyers’ letters as complex and difficult to read, and not providing the information that consumers actually want, new research has found.
Competition watchdog urged to study customer review websites in legal market
The Legal Services Board has called on the Competition and Markets Authority to extend a study of comparison websites to include customer review sites, given their particular sensitivity in the legal market.
Solicitor who sent offensive SEN tweets accepts rebuke
The solicitor who caused an uproar in June when he sent out a series of tweets appearing to gloat over defeating cases brought by parents of children with special educational needs and disability, has accepted a rebuke from the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Exclusive: LeO “frustrated” by lack of redress for clients of unregulated providers, says chief ombudsman
The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) is “some way off” handling complaints about unregulated legal services providers, the chief ombudsman has admitted. However, Kathryn Stone said it was “deeply frustrating” to LeO staff that consumers of unregulated services had no access to redress.
Susskind urges restraint and piloting over fears that Online Court is “too ambitious”
An online court should be introduced slowly and modestly rather than as ‘big bang’, according to one of the original architects of the dispute resolution model from which Lord Justice Briggs drew when devising his Civil Court Structure Review.
Groundbreaking digital contracts business has “layers of security” to defeat hackers
The tech company that facilitated what it claims is the world’s first smart contract supported by the Internet of Things – internet-enabled devices – has told Legal Futures that its product has layers of security amid fears that the increasingly commonplace technology is vulnerable to hackers.
Partner struck off after administering client’s estate for benefit of his associate and lover
A partner at a leading law firm who did not inform the client whose will he was revising that he was in a personal relationship with one of the beneficiaries – herself an associate at the firm – and gave himself the power to grant her 11 times as much as she was due from the estate after the client died, has accepted his removal from the profession.
Specialist employee ownership firm becomes ABS to extend its own employee ownership
A niche law firm specialising purely in employee ownership has become an alternative business structure to extend its own scheme to non-lawyers. The firm, a limited company, was one of the first in the country to introduce employee ownership four years ago.
Time to take competence seriously as new CPD regime kicks off
Law firms are being encouraged to get their act together now and come to terms with the new continuing professional development (CPD) regime for solicitors, which comes into force today. Firms can no longer choose to keep the old hours-based approach.
Wealth management company takes on dual SRA/FCA regulation after becoming ABS
A wealth management firm has become an alternative business structure and one of the first to adopt dual regulation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority. In other ABS news, the vendors of Simpson Millar are to receive a further £3m after achieving the target for their earn-out.
Blog
Recruitment, retention and reward in the legal accounts world
Understanding the legal finance market is important – not just for those actively involved in it day-to-day but also for leaders within law firms.
From ‘year zero’ to £6.5m – how a law firm found its second life
In 2018, I hit what I call ‘year zero’. On paper, Olliers Solicitors was a top-tier criminal defence firm but beneath the surface, I could see we were at a crossroads.
Linklaters’ chief growth officer takes the ‘blank sheet’ challenge
In the third and final part of this series, Lucy Murphy, chief growth officer at magic circle firm Linklaters, outlines her vision for the law firm of the future.
