Alternative business structures
North of England private equity firm invests £15m in industrial diseases ABS
NorthEdge Capital, a private equity firm focused on investing in businesses in the North of England, has announced an investment of £15m into Roberts Jackson, the Cheshire-based industrial disease alternative business structure.
Clinical negligence outsourcer bids to become alternative business structure
Clinical negligence outsourcer 5R1 has announced its intention to become the first in its field to obtain alternative business structure (ABS) status. It currently operates as a claims management company, regulated by the Ministry of Justice.
Exclusive: will-writers’ trade body launches unique ABS
The Institute of Professional Willwriters has won approval for a unique alternative business structure that will enable its members and others to access related legal services for their clients, and share in the fees generated.
LSB attacks SRA’s “over-engineered” approach to MDPs and non-lawyer owners
The Legal Services Board has attacked the Solicitors Regulation Authority for having “over-engineered” its approach to regulating multi-disciplinary alternative business structures and to approving non-lawyer owners.
Accountants able to handle probate work without solicitors from next month
Chartered accountants will be able to carry out reserved probate work themselves, without the need to instruct a solicitor, from next month, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) has said.
ICAEW vents frustration over delays to its approval as a legal regulator
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales has described as “increasingly frustrating” its wait to become a regulator of probate services and an alternative business structure licensing authority.
MPs demand SRA crackdown on personal injury lawyers “playing the system”
MPs have called on the government to put pressure on the Solicitors Regulation Authority to stop personal injury lawyers “playing the system” by commissioning unnecessary medical reports on psychological injuries.
Schillings’ profits rocket as shift to reputation defence ABS pays off
The boutique media law firm that transformed itself into a multi-disciplinary alternative business structure specialising in high tech and legal reputation defence, is approaching the end of its first three-year phase of reform with profits “sky high”.
Barristers lay out plans for range of new entities
Barristers are looking at creating a wide range of legal businesses – with solicitors, paralegals and others – once the Bar Standards Board’s (BSB) application to become an entity regulator is approved, it has emerged.
Retailer turned law firm chairman: pricing demands pushing change
Leading retailer Greg Tufnell, new non-executive chairman of innovative legal practice Radiant Law, has told Legal Futures that changed expectations among clients over pricing is one of the key elements driving disruption in the legal market.
Blog
The AI question law firms should answer before a client asks it
Most law firms we speak to are already using AI, whether or not they have approved it, because fee-earners are doing it anyway. The tool people settle on is often Claude.
From chat to Cowork: preparing your law firm for agentic AI
AI is evolving quickly. For law firms still working out how to get consistent value from the tools they already have, the conversation has moved on again to agentic AI.
Why good governance matters when managing Law Society forms
Everyday legal transactions rely on Law Society forms. But they are often treated as static templates rather than what they really are: living documents that change over time.
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