Alternative business structures
Local authority ABSs “will improve access to justice”
Alternative business structures (ABSs) set up by local authorities should improve access to justice without threatening private practice law firms, according to the lawyers who advised on the first two council licences.
Last hurdle before accountants can offer probate services: a two-day course
Passing a two-day course will enable accountants to start offering probate law services to the public, after the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales yesterday officially received the power to regulate probate and licence alternative business structures.
ABSs set to cross the Atlantic
The global spread of alternative business structures (ABSs) took a major step forward yesterday after a report by the Canadian Bar Association strongly backed their introduction.
Second local authority ABS: we are not a threat to law firms
HB Public Law, the shared legal service set up by Harrow and Barnet Councils, has been granted an alternative business structure licence by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
First local authority ABS receives green light
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has finally licensed the first local authority alternative business structure (ABS), after approving the collaborative law firm set up by two Buckinghamshire local authority legal teams, Legal Futures can reveal.
SRA now licensing more than 300 ABSs
There are now more than 300 alternative business structures (ABS) operating in England and Wales under the supervision of the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Irwin Mitchell launches IMe Law with esure
Irwin Mitchell has announced the launch of an alternative business structure (ABS) with online insurer esure, called IMe Law. The move is the latest in a series of ABS deals between insurers and law firms.
New Optima Legal chief outlines “market leader” plans
David Ashcroft, the new managing director of Optima Legal, has outlined his ambitions for the ABS to become a market leader in commercial property and debt collection services.
Most ABSs would “do things differently” if they applied again
A large majority of alternative business structures, 89%, would tackle their application differently if they applied to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) for a licence again, research has revealed.
ICAEW wins power to licence probate ABSs
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales has been given the green light by Parliament to regulate alternative business structures which provide probate services, with dozens of firms already showing an interest in taking advantage.
Blog
Beyond the PII premium – rethinking risk
Professional indemnity insurance renewal is often treated as an annual pricing exercise. But it is also a chance to show how effectively you identify, manage and mitigate risk.
The AI governance gap in law firms and why it matters now
A third of law firms are already using AI tools with no formal policy in place to govern how AI gets used, what data goes into it, or who’s accountable when something goes wrong.
Information isn’t oversight – lessons from the PM Law review
The PM Law review’s real findings perhaps point to a failure mode applying to any organisation sitting on scattered risk information.
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