Latest news

Counterculture Partnership, a multi-disciplinary practice with one lawyer among 11 partners, has become an alternative business structure. Solicitor Keith Arrowsmith said clients liked the fact that it was an ABS and was under strict rules on confidentiality.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority should drop its plans for a centralised assessment test for would-be solicitors at the point of qualification and instead introduce a centralised test for the legal practice course, young lawyers have argued.

Law firms should be braver in asking potential clients for work and making sure they follow up leads, the new chair of LawNet has said. Kim Carr, managing partner of FBC Manby Bowdler, said lawyers “didn’t like selling things”.

A personal injury “knowledge hub”, backed by a board of industry experts, has been launched by solicitor and due diligence specialist Zoe Holland. Andrew Twambley and Professor Dominic Regan are among those involved.

The number of complaints about claims management companies received by the Legal Ombudsman in the first six months of this year has hit almost 9,000 – a far higher amount than expected. However the number actually investigated was lower than predicted.

The top 100 law firms have increased their output of content posted online by 77% over the past year as they step up efforts to build their presence and demonstrate their expertise on social media, according to new research. Irwin Mitchell was ranked as the best for showcasing its expertise online.

A lawyer-matching service originally designed for tech start-ups and SMEs has secured a second, much larger cash injection of £850,000 from a range of investors led by e-commerce specialist Forward Partners. Ih-house lawyers at large companies are now using the service to save money.

The one-time Chief Legal Ombudsman, Adam Sampson, has hit back at his former employer’s version of his departure, telling MPs that it included statements that “risk accusations of misleading Parliament”. He said claims that he was dismissed from his post were “simply untrue”.

Lord Hodge, the justice of the Supreme Court representing Scotland, has made it clear that he does not agree with Lord Sumption’s view that it could take 50 years to achieve gender equality in the judiciary. Lord Hodge also said he disagreed with Lady Hale over the issue of positive discrimination.

The Legal Services Board has put a temporary block on plans by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to widen its net to cover providers that do not need to be regulated. It said the reforms “could be seen as a significant shift in the regulation of legal services”.