Market monitor

There was surprising unanimity yesterday in support of the Ministry of Justice’s decision to delay implementation of its whiplash reforms by a year to April 2020.

The UK’s first listed law firm, Gateley, unveiled strong annual results yesterday, as the partners from when it went public have seen a “healthy return” on their shares.

Implementation of the government’s whiplash reforms is to be delayed by a year to April 2020, the Ministry of Justice has announced, with the new online portal tested six months earlier.

“Seismic change” is on the horizon for the profession because of the direction of technology, a Legal Futures roundtable on the law firm on the future has heard.

The UK’s first listed law firm, Gateley, has made another non-legal acquisition by buying a “human capital” consultancy for what could reach £3m.

There was good and bad news from Parliament yesterday for opponents of the Civil Liability Bill as its consideration by MPs was delayed but chances of it being amended receded.

Law firms should design their websites to “repel” the kind of clients they are not interested in, the founder of a niche commercial firm told an SRA event yesterday.

The legal industry has joined forces with other professions and business services to set out the EU market access they will need to ensure Brexit does not curtail their work.

Most listed UK businesses with a strong legal element are beating the market so far this year, with Keystone Law’s share price rocketing, a Legal Futures analysis has found.

The number of law firms specialising in personal injury work has fallen by 10% over the past two years, with one practitioner describing solicitors now as the “dairy farmers” of the market due to their declining influence.