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An innovative Hereford-based alternative business structure has set up a joint venture with a Welsh accountancy firm, joining nine other branded businesses in the Kidwell Group, ranging from a barristers’ chambers to a guest house.

The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is seeking the power to impose fines of up to £1,000 on barristers cleared by disciplinary tribunals, it has emerged. It also wants greater scope to appeal to the High Court.

The listed company that owns NewLaw Solicitors is to acquire a fleet accident management group that itself has a joint venture alternative business structure with NewLaw. Redde has agreed to acquire the FMG group of companies for approximately £43.2m.

A former solicitor and barrister have both been convicted and sentenced by magistrates for the providing unregulated immigration advice and services. They are the latest in a string of convictions for this offence.

Damian McCarthy, a barrister whose disbarment was overturned by the Court of Appeal, has said he is hoping for a “fair hearing” from a new Bar disciplinary tribunal. The Bar Standards Board said it remained of the view that he had acted dishonestly.

A solicitor who withdrew money more than 150 times from client accounts so as to keep his firm afloat has been struck off for his “disgraceful” behaviour. In mitigation, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal was told that the solicitor had “treated his practice as his family”.

The top five conveyancing firms handled 10% more transactions in the second quarter of this year than in the same quarter the previous year, research has shown. However, the bottom half of the top 100 have showed the fastest growth over the past four years.

Des Hudson, former chief executive of the Law Society, has left his post as chair of conveyancing portal Veyo, it has been announced. His replacement, Ian Gray, is a ‘turnaround management’ specialist.

Fairpoint plc’s acquisition of Colemans-ctts has formally completed, meaning legal services now accounts for 62% of the company’s revenue. The deal, first announced at the start of the month, is structured as an acquisition by Simpson Millar, the law firm Fairpoint bought last year to enter the legal market.

A long-running disciplinary case involving accusations that a barrister forged client care letters must be heard again, the Visitors to the Inns of Court have ruled. They said there was “no basis” for saying that the barrister would be deprived of a fair hearing “by reason of delay and/or any prior knowledge” of BSB witnesses.