Legal Services Act
Red Bar eyes steady stream of barristers seconded to corporates
Our series catching up with the new breed of alternative business structures profiles Red Bar, the first start up ABS and a law firm offering early access to barristers, and how a no-nonsense approach to payment is aiding big expansion plans.
Bates Wells Braithwaite claims ABS will allow first ‘unified service’ in City
Bates Wells Braithwaite, the charity law specialist, has claimed that its new ABS status will enable it to provide the first ‘unified service’ in the City. The firm’s non-legal services have been set up by accountant Jim Clifford, who is now an equity partner.
British Printing Industries Federation awarded ABS license
The British Printing Industries Federation, a trade association representing the UK’s print and packaging industry, has been awarded an ABS license, while a Hull-based employment, taxation, health and safety and environmental law service has also won ABS status.
ABSs capture a third of personal injury market, SRA research reveals
ABSs account for a third of all turnover in the personal injury market, the first accurate overview of the progress of alternative business structures has revealed.
SRA takes too long to approve applications, ABSs say
Firms applying for alternative business structure (ABS) status believe the Solicitors Regulation Authority takes too long to approve applications and its staff are too “bureaucratic”, according to the regulator’s own research.
Quindell forced to shelve plans for main market listing
Alternative business structure Quindell plc has had to shelve its much-trumpeted plans for a full listing on the London Stock Exchange, the company admitted today. The news has further hit the AIM-listed company’s share price.
Russia-focused multi-disciplinary ABS plans growth
In the latest of our series profiling the new breed of alternative business structure, we speak to Red Square London, a law firm and multi-disciplinary family office that provides services mainly to wealthy Russian and Russian-speaking clients.
I took this job to change legal services market, says new LSB chair
Sir Michael Pitt, the new chairman of the Legal Services Board, has said he took the job to “help change the legal services market”. He argued that “more change is needed” to deliver a better legal services market and better access to justice.
Kenny: BIS data-sharing plans could be a “dead letter”
Plans by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills for improved data sharing between different regulators could be a “dead letter” if they are not applied to all of the legal regulators, the Legal Services Board has warned.
Parliamentary inquiry calls for renewed wills push in bid to increase charitable giving
A parliamentary inquiry has called for a push to encourage people to make wills and that will-writers should inform all clients that they are able to leave money to charity in them.
Blog
The cost of systemic failure and childbirth injuries
Recent reports show that the NHS has paid almost £3.5bn in medical claims around childbirth injuries over the past six years.
Mazur: when regulators make simple things complicated
What the last six months have shown is that supervision cannot be treated as a background compliance obligation quietly managed somewhere in a firm’s operational processes.
How unstoppable AI is reshaping UK legal practice
At a time when most technology innovation still flows from the US and China, UK lawtech is attracting growing international attention and capital.
