Legal Services Act
Separate business rule reform will “unlock” competition and innovation in legal market
The Legal Services Consumer Panel has given “qualified support” to plans by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to rewrite the separate business rule. The panel said the existing rule had “fallen into disrepute”.
High street first as multi-office firm takes £5m investment and targets legal aid growth
McMillan Williams, which has 20 offices in London and the south of England, has become the first high street law firm to take external investment after securing a £5m private equity deal.
Saga lampoons ‘jargony’ lawyers in first legal services TV adverts
Over-50s company Saga has launched the first television advertising campaign for its legal services division, satirising the notion of lawyers being long-winded. There adverts envisage what life would be like if everyone spoke like a lawyer
SBR changes could cause “irreparable damage” to solicitor brand, warn City lawyers
Plans by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to relax the separate business rule could cause “irreparable damage” to the solicitor brand and “drive significant numbers of the profession” into the unregulated sector, the City of London Law Society has warned.
Assure Law targets personal injury with latest acquisition
Business consultancy Assure Law has bought a specialist rehabilitation service as it expands the range of services it offers to law firms, following its acquisition of HighStreetLawyer.com and Lawyers2you.
Gunnercooke uses its law firm model to set up consultancy business
Alternative business structure gunnercooke has taken its pioneering law firm model of only employing senior lawyers and used it to set up a consultancy business.
LSB approves end of “arbitrary” hours-based CPD for solicitors
The Legal Services Board has given its blessing to the end of the “arbitrary” hours-based continuous professional development scheme for solicitors.
Slater & Gordon unveils next two acquisitions, while Quindell talks continue
Slater & Gordon has today announced another two acquisitions that it said will make it the largest consumer law firm in Wales, as well as boosting its presence in the north-west and south-west of England, while talks over the acquisition of ‘operating assets’ of Quindell are continuing.
National v local brands – stalwart QS firm “reclaims independence”
The debate over national versus local legal brands is set to begin again after Norfolk firm Clapham & Collinge announced it was “reclaiming its independence” by leaving the QualitySolicitors network after four years.
CLC moves closer to regulating probate specialists
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has moved closer towards its goal of regulating specialist probate lawyers who do not have to be conveyancers.
Blog
Why AI and leadership choices will define law firm profitability in 2026
Despite rapid advances in legal technology, the future of law will not be determined by software alone. It will be shaped by leadership decisions.
Legal director: an alternative to partnership
Firms are increasingly acknowledging the need for alternative senior roles – positions that offer influence and recognition without the obligations of ownership.
It’s time for law firms to ask tougher questions
For years, many law firms have treated ID verification as a box-ticking exercise. Run a liveness check, match a face to a document and move on. But that is no longer good enough.
