Latest news
Firm caught up in investment scheme collapse forced to close after insurance dispute
The partners of a 41-year-old Black Country law firm have expressed their “bitter” disappointment at having to close down due to a dispute with their professional indemnity insurers. At the same time, four lawyers from Sanders & Co are facing the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal over their involvement in a complex overseas investment scheme.
NewLaw owner sees share price bounce back after positive trading statement
Redde plc – the AIM-listed accident management company that owns NewLaw Solicitors – has seen its share price bounce back following the post-referendum stock market falls, with the help of a positive trading statement.
ABS solicitor set to face disciplinary tribunal
A solicitor who failed in his attempt to challenge the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s closure of his alternative business structure is now to face a disciplinary tribunal, it has emerged. Michael John Elsdon is facing 15 charges, largely in relation to his conduct of probate matters.
Solicitor suspended after accepting caution for possessing indecent images
A solicitor who received a caution for possessing a small number of indecent images of children has been suspended from practice for a year. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal accepted that he had “stumbled” across the images, which were in the lowest category of severity.
QC crowdfunds legal advice in bid to derail Brexit
A high-profile tax silk has taken less than a day to successfully crowdfund £10,000 to take legal advice over whether it is Parliament, rather than the prime minister, that has the power to trigger article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and the formal start of the UK’s exit from the European Union.
Disciplinary tribunal sanctions barrister who ignored BSB for four years
A barrister who failed to pay a fine and costs imposed by a disciplinary tribunal and then ignored the Bar Standards Board’s efforts to contact him for four years, has been suspended from practising. Meanwhile, another barrister has been reprimanded for telling the CPS she was qualified for a role there when she was not.
Consumer panel renews push to force law firms to publish prices and complaints records
Making law firms publish details of complaints and average prices on their websites will significantly improve the legal market for clients, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has argued. Its newly published annual report renews the panel’s push for open data, even though the Legal Services Board recently cast doubt on some of its key recommendations.
New PI marketing collective open for business under dual brands
The new not-for-profit personal injury marketing collective that is looking to spend £12m in its first year has gone live under two of its three brands. Created by legal digital marketing agency mmadigital, the collective, National Injury Claimline, also says it has built technology that allows it to adjust its marketing on a real-time basis.
Unregulated providers can be good for consumers so long as they know what they’re buying, says LSB
Unregulated legal services providers are generally cheaper and more innovative than regulated law firms, but consumers need to understand the risks of using them, Legal Services Board research has found. The small scale of the problems they cause is such that the oversight regulator said it would not take steps to introduce regulation.
Law Society tells MPs that Brexit means separation of SRA should be shelved
The Law Society has told MPs that plans to give the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and other regulators full independence should be shelved because of the uncertainty caused by the EU Referendum. The society and SRA also clashed on the former’s bid to take over control of setting professional standards.











