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The Legal Services Board has invoked its statutory power to set performance targets for the Office for Legal Complaints – the body that oversees the Legal Ombudsman – because of concerns that current targets are at risk of not being met and there are “inherent structural features [that] are likely to prevent significant improvements in performance being made”.

The Lord Chief Justice has highlighted the “very worrying trend” of few appointments to silk outside of London and the impact this may have on diversity on the bench. However, Lord Thomas also expressed hope that an upcoming competition for deputy High Court judges would deliver “the kind of pool [of candidates] we have never seen before”.

Legal regulators need to justify the continuing existence of their rules, and not wait for others to argue that they are not needed, the chief executive of the Legal Services Board has said. Richard Moriarty also urged the legal profession to “redouble” its efforts to innovate.

The prospect of a single regulator for the legal market has dimmed after the new chief executive of the Legal Services Board distanced himself from the idea. Richard Moriarty was giving his first interview since taking over from Chris Kenny in February.

The Ministry of Justice spent over £200m on consultants and temporary staff in the last financial year – a rise of almost £40m on the year before, it has emerged. Average sick days across the department have risen to over 10 for each member of staff.

The Government Legal Service has decided to open its lawyer job vacancies to fellows of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives for the first time. The first job being advertised is a £53,196 position as lawyer at HM Revenue & Customs.

The new legal business set up by the founder of Compass Costs – who became head of Quindell Legal Services after it bought Compass – is set to buy two law firms as it expands rapidly as part of a strategy to “take the greed out of the market” by going head to head with claims management companies and other work providers.

The ghost of legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix loomed large in the High Court yesterday when a judge struck out claims against senior lawyers and imposed a civil restraint order on the claimant, in the latest twist of long-running litigation over his musical legacy.

Removing the ban on referral fees in criminal cases could lead to “arrest chasing” by solicitors, the Bar Council has warned, and result in “as much public opprobrium” as ambulance chasing. However, the Bar Council backed third-party accounts for solicitors.

Two partners have been cleared by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal of misconduct relating to errors and omissions in their firm’s application for indemnity insurance, and unusually were allowed to maintain their anonymity throughout.