Latest news
Battle for crime contracts in full swing as leading firms unveil consortium
The battle for criminal legal aid contracts is underway, with Duncan Lewis – which describes itself as the country’s largest legal aid provider – unveiling a consortium that will bid for duty provider contracts nationwide.
ICAEW licenses 48 ABSs in first six months as probate regulator
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) has licensed 48 alternative business structures to carry out probate work in its first six months as regulator, it has emerged.
First Polish-owned, Polish-speaking ABS targets East European clients
The first Polish-owned, Polish-speaking alternative business structure opened for business at the start of this month – with the help of a British solicitor. Optimal Solicitors started life as a claims management company before converting.
Paraskeva returns to the law as CLC chair
Former Law Society chief executive Dame Janet Paraskeva has been named as the new chair of the Council for Licensed Conveyancers. Dame Janet, a non-lawyer, has been appointed for an initial four-year term.
‘We’ve done our homework on Quindell,’ Slater & Gordon insists
Slater & Gordon has moved to dispel any doubts about the wisdom of its acquisition of Quindell’s professional services division (PSD), emphasising the work it put into going over the books. It also revealed that the PSD will operate as a standalone division.
Not so clever: 80% of lawyers rate themselves as ‘above average’ but only 40% of clients see it that way
Although 80% of lawyers at small firms rate their services as ‘above average’ only 40% of clients rate them that way, a major study has found. The survey found that lawyers misunderstood clients’ priorities.
Now barrister ‘named and shamed’ by LeO is suspended for not paying other barristers
Tariq Rehman, the first lawyer to be ‘named and shamed’ by the Legal Ombudsman for a series of complaints, has been suspended by a Bar disciplinary tribunal. The tribunal suspended him for failing to pay three other barristers for work they had carried out.
Quindell sale moves closer after shareholders approve deal
The sale of Quindell’s professional services division moved a major step closed today after the company’s shareholders approved the disposal to Slater & Gordon.
Solicitors set for client account alternative this year
Solicitors will soon be able to ditch client accounts and instead use “third-party managed accounts”, their regulator has revealed. THe SRA said the use of such accounts may offer a lower-cost alternative that continues to provide appropriate protection.
SRA pokes hornets’ nest as it asks whether to drop referral fee ban in legal aid cases
The Solicitors Regulation Authority yesterday started an “open” debate about allowing solicitors to pay referral fees for legal aid and criminal work, saying the present ban acts as a barrier to consumer choice. The move is likely to be met with anger by the Bar Council.
Blog
Divorce escrow: asset sales before final settlement
When significant matrimonial assets are sold before a final financial order is agreed, holding the proceeds safely and neutrally can present real practical challenges.
AML lacks clarity – and standards are suffering
If firms are buckling under the pressure of AML regulations, subject to ever-increasing fines, then something is clearly not working as it should be.
The power of participation for trainees and apprentices
It’s important as a trainee or an apprentice to get involved in the life of your firm – even under the pressure of discovering how to navigate professional life and now the demands of the SQE.
