Market monitor
Barrister in plagiarism row admits “technical breach of copyright”
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.
Groundbreaking family barrister wins £50,000 innovation award
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.
No clear priorities: MPs doubt ability of MoJ to manage justice system
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.
Acquisition no12 for Knights amid activity at insurance ABSs
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.
Solicitors’ charity bids to counter “devastating” impact of Covid
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 “changed firm’s culture for the better”
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.
Multi-disciplinary practice and consolidator unveils latest acquisitions
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.
Solicitor using £50k prize to develop automated advice platform
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 work alongside recruiters in platform for consultants
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.
Firm settles with two rivals and barrister over plagiarised letter of claim
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.
Blog
Change in regulator shouldn’t make AML less of a priority
While SRA fines for AML have been climbing, many in the profession aren’t confident they will get any relief from the FCA, a body used to dealing with a highly regulated industry.
There are 17 million wills waiting to be written
The main reason cited by people who do not have a will was a lack of awareness as to how to arrange one. As a professional community, we seem to be failing to get our message across.
The case for a single legal services regulator: why the current system is failing
From catastrophic firm collapses to endemic compliance failures, the evidence is mounting that the current multi-regulator model is fundamentally broken.
