Alternative business structures
Advocacy services firm becomes ABS
An advocacy services firm which attended over 6,000 hearings last year has become an alternative business structure so it can add qualified advocates to its team of solicitors’ agents.
ABSs in US move closer in wake of Covid-19
The Utah Supreme Court is pressing ahead with plans to become the first US state to introduce ABSs, saying the Covid-19 crisis underscored the need for innovation in the legal market.
Class action firm splits from US partner as it targets Brazil
A class action law firm that launched less than two years ago in conjunction with a specialist US practice is now going its own way as it targets bringing Latin American cases in London.
Exclusive: US legal giant sells its ABS to consolidator
US legal services giant LegalZoom has sold the Yorkshire law firm it bought more than four years ago to consolidator Metamorph, Legal Futures can reveal.
New ABS targets ‘David and Goliath’ insurance disputes
A start-up alternative business structure has been launched to bring City solicitor expertise to bear to help consumers and SMEs win disputes when insurers fail to honour their policies.
Huge growth at PI ABS but Leeds office put on ice
Staff numbers at personal injury law firm Bond Turner grew by 65% last year but the listed company that owns it has put the firm’s expansion to Leeds on hold during the coronavirus crisis.
Exclusive: SRA to regulate National Accident Helpline
National Accident Helpline is giving up its authorisation as a claims management company and will in future be overseen by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, Legal Futures can reveal.
Time for Scotland to embrace ABSs, says watchdog
The Competition and Markets Authority has called for alternative business structures to be allowed in Scotland, and for a shift to the independent regulation of lawyers.
Arizona looks to become first US state to allow ABSs
Arizona has become the first state in the US to formally seek the introduction of alternative business structures, it has emerged.
ABSs diversify to offer clients non-legal services
Southern England commercial law firm EMW has made the first of what it says will be a series of acquisitions of specialist consultancies as it looks to diversify beyond legal work.
Blog
What high-performing consumer claims firms get right
Recurring concerns about parts of the volume claims sector show that the gap between well-run firms and those struggling to manage volume effectively is widening.
The SRA’s 2025 AML report: What law firms need to know
The SRA has released its 2024-25 anti-money laundering report and the scale of supervision is striking – it carried out 935 proactive engagements in the year to 5 April 2025.
The managing partner in 2026: skills, security and strategic technology
The legal sector stands at a pivotal moment. The pace of technological change is accelerating, cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated, and client expectations are higher than ever.
