Latest news
It’s time for state-backed online dispute resolution, says Susskind-led CJC group
It is time for a “radical and fundamental change” in the way the courts deal with low-value claims, a major report argues today, calling for the introduction of state-backed online dispute resolution across England and Wales in 2017.
Separate business rule reform will “unlock” competition and innovation in legal market
The Legal Services Consumer Panel has given “qualified support” to plans by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to rewrite the separate business rule. The panel said the existing rule had “fallen into disrepute”.
Nobody gets what they want as BSB “subverting the rules” case heads back to Visitors
Appeal judges have decided that a disciplinary case in which they found a Bar Standards Board official responsible for “subverting the rules” on disclosure should return to the Visitors to the Inns of Court.
High street first as multi-office firm takes £5m investment and targets legal aid growth
McMillan Williams, which has 20 offices in London and the south of England, has become the first high street law firm to take external investment after securing a £5m private equity deal.
Law firm replaces annual leave entitlement with groundbreaking ‘paid time-off’ policy
East Anglian practice Ashton KCJ has become what is thought to be the first law firm in the UK to introduce a ‘paid time-off’ policy, which focuses on productivity rather than time in the office by allowing all salaried employees to take the holiday they need without the constraint of a set number of days per year.
Saga lampoons ‘jargony’ lawyers in first legal services TV adverts
Over-50s company Saga has launched the first television advertising campaign for its legal services division, satirising the notion of lawyers being long-winded. There adverts envisage what life would be like if everyone spoke like a lawyer
SBR changes could cause “irreparable damage” to solicitor brand, warn City lawyers
Plans by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to relax the separate business rule could cause “irreparable damage” to the solicitor brand and “drive significant numbers of the profession” into the unregulated sector, the City of London Law Society has warned.
Supreme Court to hear QASA appeal – but rejects claim of threat to advocate independence
The barristers challenging the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates have today been granted permission to appeal to the Supreme Court. The hearing is listed for March.
Veyo sets its hare running with high-profile advertising campaign
Veyo, the Law Society-backed business that will shortly bring its conveyancing portal to the market, says the high-profile advertising during last week’s Wales v England rugby match did its job in kick-starting its outreach to key players in the home-buying market.
Law firm secures restraint order against litigant in person
Surrey law firm Downs has secured a civil restraint order against a litigant in person who launched a series of claims described by a High Court judge as “totally without merit”.
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.
