Legal Services Act

In the latest instalment of our Legal Pioneers series, Neil Rose talks to Suzanne Dibble, the company/commercial lawyer and mother who last month won an award for her unique legal offering to the growing band of mumpreneurs.

Non-lawyer investors in alternative business structures will have to disclose any previous convictions, even if spent, to pass the ‘fit and proper owner’ test, Legal Futures can reveal. It was the last major hurdle to the full adoption of ABSs.

The Legal Ombudsman is to float the idea of extending its jurisdiction so as to handle complaints against will-writers, in a bid to ease the problems faced by consumers who think they are regulated, Legal Futures can report.

Legal Futures can reveal that Premier Property Lawyers – one of the largest conveyancing businesses in the country – has today become the first ever alternative business structure as the new regime finally gets underway.

A ‘virtual’ law firm has today become the first UK solicitors’ practice to announce its intention to seek a stock market admission so as to fund growth and attract more solicitors to the business. Everyman Legal will become an alternative business structure when it can.

Online conveyancing business In-deed has seen “encouraging” signs from the introduction of telesales staff to help convert quotes into instructions for its panel law firms, it has told the Stock Exchange. The company has had to alter its plan to operate solely online.

The number of solicitor applications for a grant of probate has fallen for the fourth year running, down 30% since 2006, although the drop slowed last year, indicating perhaps that greater competition in the probate market is making itself felt.

Around 50 law firms in the north-west have signed up to a new scheme from Manchester practice JMW aimed at lawyer-to-lawyer referrals. Lawshare offers firms in the network a 7-10% profit share for every case referred to JMW.

QualitySolicitors has agreed an exclusive partnership with leading finance comparison website MoneySupermarket.com, while the network is to be promoted in the Bounty Packs given to all new mothers, Legal Futures can reveal.

Solicitors and barristers are being targeted to join a new comparison website that claims to be the “new generation” of legal referral businesses by requiring participating law firms and barristers to offer fixed-fee services. CompareLegalCosts.com has also moved away from the referral fee model.