Legal Services Act

The Legal Services Board has approved a new rule requiring chambers to include sexual orientation and religion in the diversity data they publish on their websites, whether or not all of their barristers agree.

Children and protected parties are to be exempt from the increase in the small claims limit and the new whiplash portal – at least for now – Legal Futures can reveal. We also have more detail on the portal build.

Achieving buy-in for technology regulation from everyone involved in lawtech – from developers to users – is crucial to it working well, according to an analysis looking at the lessons for legal regulators that can be drawn from the medical and financial sectors.

Small law firms are appealing places to work for solicitors from larger practices, but growth and credibility are among the concerns, according to a survey.

A key aspect of tech is its potential to help lawyers sell to consumers as part of a multi-disciplinary package that includes unrelated services, where the ‘legal’ part is invisible to the purchaser.

Traditional commercial law firms are “on their death bed” and must change their business models to survive, the general counsel of three leading tech companies have warned.

The Legal Ombudsman is falling further behind in meeting case closure targets amid high staff turnover, it has emerged. It closed 6,206 cases in 2018-19, compared to a target of 8,000.

The whiplash portal for litigants in person will cover claims for property damage, in addition to personal injury and uninsured losses, the Motor Insurers Bureau has confirmed.

An app that offers users the full range of consumer legal advice and support for up to £24 a month is being rolled out after a pilot saw 70% of users renew their subscription.

Alternative business structures continue to have a “direct and positive impact” on the legal market, the oversight regulator has said, while there are “signs of improvement” at the Legal Ombudsman.