Market monitor

The barrister at the heart of a dispute between law firms over a plagiarised letter of claim said he had acknowledged a “technical breach of copyright” but that his apology had not been accepted.

A barrister who co-founded a groundbreaking business that allows separating couples to obtain advice from a single legal expert at any point in the process, has won a £50,000 Women in Innovation award.

The Ministry of Justice faces “significant risks across the full range of its services, without a clear sense of prioritisation”, MPs on the influential public accounts committee have warned.

Listed law firm Knights continued its consolidation play yesterday by announcing a £5.3m deal to buy Surrey firm Mundays, as we also report on activity at two insurance-led ABSs.

The effects of furlough or lack of work in the past year has had a “devastating” impact on solicitors, with a record number turning to The Solicitors’ Charity for help, the organisation said today.

Embracing online reviews can trigger a positive, service-driven culture change at law firms, the practice director of a leading West Country firm told last week’s Legal Futures webinar.

A multi-disciplinary corporate finance group set up by a Cardiff-based law firm has added accountancy expertise to its offering, while consolidator Metamorph Law has unveiled its latest acquisition.

A solicitor who won a female innovators award is to put her £50,000 cash prize to building an automated platform that will provide cost-effective legal support to start-ups.

Lawyers are set to work alongside recruitment consultants in a platform for self-employed professionals taking shape in the West Country that aims to build an internal marketplace.

Manchester-based JMW has accepted damages of £45,000 plus costs from rival law firm Hayes Connor that admitted plagiarising a letter drafted by JMW on 242 occasions.