Latest news

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced a study of the legal services sector for consumers and small businesses so as to examine “long-standing concerns” about affordability and standards of service. The CMA said concerns had also been raised about the “complexity of the current regulatory framework”.

A ground-breaking legal ‘hackathon’ – pitting computer programmers against each other to reach the best solution to a legal technology problem in the space of a weekend – is to be held in London with the aim of generating technology that will assist law centres.

Law firms need to become “cuter” in their marketing as the ever increasing competition for work – particularly online – means that even recently established ways of operating are delivering diminishing returns, it has been claimed.

Lord Justice Briggs has set out radical plans to create an online court, which could become the compulsory starting point for money claims worth up to £25,000, and which would be designed “for use by litigants without lawyers”.

A former partner in a criminal law firm has described how he deliberately broke professional rules to get a murderer convicted. Steve Chittenden said: “The dilemma is between the rules and natural justice.”

The claimant groups planning to fight the government’s latest personal injury (PI) reforms have learnt from what happened with LASPO and are working together to ensure they have “a unified voice and message”, it has emerged. The Law Society, APIL and MASS have also set up a fighting fund.

A claims management company which made 40m nuisance calls in only three months has had its license revoked by the Claims Management Regulator. Kevin Rousell, head of the CMR, said the firm “demonstrated the worst excesses” of the industry.

Co-operative Legal Services is making a significant investment in face-to-face advice for the first time after acquiring a wills, trust and probate company. It is further evidence that, despite changes in the wider group following its well-publicised troubles, legal services remains a core service.

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has voiced “serious doubts” over whether a solicitor, aged 79 and “with almost 50 years of exemplary service”, should have been referred to it for prosecution. Reginald Hemmings told the tribunal he found the experience “extremely distressing”.

NAHL Group – the listed business that owns National Accident Helpline – has grown its footprint in the conveyancing market with the acquisition of a property search company. It is paying £2m for Searches UK, with £1.66 up front and a further £350,000 payable on or before 30 June.