Latest news
Government and judges urge lawyers to innovate as era of online justice and fixed fees approaches
Lawyers need to embrace innovation to find new ways of delivering services and simplifying working practices, the government and senior judiciary said today as they unveiled their vision for the digital transformation of the justice system. The £1bn plan includes the prospect of people being convicted online for minor offences, and plans for fixed fees across as much of the civil system as possible.
Law Society rejects ABI claim that solicitors facilitate insurance fraud amid concern that cold-calling ban could go
The Law Society has hit back at the Association of British Insurers for claiming that solicitors are involved in insurance fraud. Separately, APIL has expressed concern that the rule which bans solicitors from cold-calling members of the public could be dropped as part of the SRA’s Handbook review.
Firm admits misconduct after involvement in SDLT avoidance schemes
A well-known Gloucestershire law firm has accepted that it did not act in the best interests of lender clients due to its involvement in stamp duty land tax avoidance schemes. In addition to its conveyancing charges – which totalled £102,000 for 65 transactions – the firm billed £28,000 for facilitating the schemes.
Tribunal decides against striking off solicitor who backdated court document
A solicitor has escaped being struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal after admitting dishonestly altering the date on a witness statement to make it look like it met a court-ordered deadline. The tribunal held there were exceptional circumstances that meant striking-off would be disproportionate.
Good news for solicitors as interventions and claims on compensation fund fall
Claims on the Solicitors Compensation Fund and the number of interventions into law firms are both falling as the impact of the recession finally begins to fade, and so it is now deliberately running at a deficit to reduce the level of reserves, it was reported yesterday.
Mixed response to LSB’s plan for regulatory overhaul, with Falconer calling for focus on unmet legal need instead
Reactions from key legal services industry bodies to the Legal Services Board’s blueprint for radical form of legal regulation have ranged from enthusiastic welcome to anger at its timing, while the politician who introduced the Legal Services Act 2007 said tackling unmet legal need was more of a priority.
Brexit should not affect our reforms but there are other areas of concern, says SRA
The uncertainty that has followed the vote for Britain’s exit from the European Union should not slow down reforms in the legal services market, Paul Philip, the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s chief executive, has warned.
The “social enterprise” ABS that reduced clients’ fee rates
One of the first local authority alternative business structures is projected to increase its turnover 30% over the next year, and has already cut the fee rates for its shareholder clients by 20%, it revealed yesterday. LGSS Law is now also advising more than 100 client organisations within the public and not-for-profit sectors.
Many top law firms see alternative providers as “threat to profession”
Four in ten managing partners at leading law firms see alternative providers such as the Big Four accountants and insurers as the biggest threat to the legal profession, according to a survey published today. It also found firms more likely to see growth coming from investment in technology and hiring teams, rather than mergers.
Law firm network draws on family law to create collaborative approach to employment disputes
Four law firms have joined forces to launch Collaborative Employment Law (CEL), a group aiming to bring a novel mediated approach to employment disputes as an alternative to litigation, modelled on a technique developed by family lawyers.
Blog
The SRA’s client money reforms: good intentions, questionable execution
On the face of it, the SRA’s plans to tighten protections around client money sounds sensible. The detail, as ever, tells a more complicated story.
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.
