Legal Services Act
“Relax apprenticeship levy rules” to help law firms
The Law Society has called on the government to allow firms to use the apprenticeship levy more flexibly than now to create new jobs and retrain staff as part of the support needed in the wake of Covid-19.
Mishcon wins appeal to secure guaranteed fees payment
Mishcon de Reya has won an appeal over a judge’s refusal to grant the London law firm summary judgment on more than £150,000 of fees payable under a guarantee.
Listed company hails growth of its law firm
Anexo Group plc – the listed business which combines legal services with credit hire – saw turnover increase 39% in 2019 to £79m after spending the year focused on building up its law firm.
Simplify adds major conveyancing firm to ranks
Consolidation at the top end of the conveyancing market is speeding up after Simplify announced the acquisition of a leading London and South East firm, the second private equity-backed deal this week.
Justice fund hands out £2m in grants in just six weeks
The Community Justice Fund – which only went live six weeks ago – has already awarded nearly £2m in grants to the legal advice sector to help it cope with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Litigation financier takes groundbreaking law firm stake
Litigation financier Burford Capital has lived up to its self-description as “the legal profession’s investment bank” by taking a minority stake in a London law firm in return for providing finance.
Work still at 50% of pre-Covid levels, says NAHL
NAHL plc has seen a modest recovery since lockdown restrictions eased but personal injury and conveyancing work is still at 50% of pre-Covid levels.
DoNotPay targets UK expansion after $12m investment
The ground-breaking DoNotPay chatbot – which describes itself as the world’s first robot lawyer – is to ramp up its UK offering after securing $12m (£9.6m) in backing from Silicon Valley.
Conveyancing “roaring back”, says fast-growing ABS
A rapidly expanding alternative business structure which combines conveyancing and mortgage advice is expecting a record month as the property market roars back.
PE-backed conveyancing firm hits acquisition trail
Leading conveyancing firm O’Neill Patient – which was last year bought by a private equity firm – has acquired Cavendish Legal Group, the first of what it says will be “a number of acquisitions”.
Blog
Why this is the year for law firms to embrace generative AI
After more than a year of pilots, proofs of value and early experimentation, firms are increasingly embedding AI into day-to-day workflows.
Client account interest is not spare change
The proposed Interest on Lawyers’ Client Accounts scheme is being framed as a sensible, international, “tried and tested” way for the profession to help fund a justice system under strain.
The formula for finance-enabled business development
Client concentration or over-dependence now counts as a top strategic risk for 26% of firms. Cross-selling is an antidote – a way to bolster revenue resilience without relying on client acquisition.
