News
Government targets CFAs and contingency fees in Jackson consultation
The government is to consult on Lord Justice Jackson’s blueprint for reform of conditional fee agreements (CFAs), as well as introducing contingency fees, “as a matter of priority”, justice minister Jonathan Djanogly announced today.
New insurer enters market for small firms
A new insurer today entered the professional indemnity market for small law firms, having taken over the run-off claims-handling function of the Solicitors Indemnity Fund.
LSB on collision course with Law Society and Bar Council over regulators’ lay majorities
The Legal Services Board is on a collision course with the Law Society and Bar Council after demanding that both introduce lay majorities on the boards of their regulatory arms sooner than planned, Legal Futures can reveal.
Revealed: Coalition to announce way forward on Jackson as Young backs report
The future of referral fees could become clearer next week after Legal Futures learned that the Coalition government is to issue a statement on Monday outlining what it intends to do with the Jackson report.
Private equity keen on the biggest and smallest City firms, says PE-backed solicitor
Private equity investors are interested in either the top City firms or niche practices, according to the solicitor who this week set up a law firm with private equity loans which could be turned into equity stakes when allowed.
Smaller firms seeing benefits of outsourcing
Smaller law firms are beginning to see real benefits and savings from outsourcing non-legal services, research has suggested. A survey by IRN Research of 36 firms with 10 partners or fewer found that just under half of them are outsourcing some non-legal activities.
QC mark and Law Society panels under scrutiny for help they give consumers
The role of the QC mark and various accreditation schemes, including Law Society panels, in helping the public identify quality legal services is to be tested, it has emerged, with the Legal Services Consumer Panel expressing scepticism over their value to consumers.
Solicitors to pay £5m to close Legal Complaints Service
The Law Society has set aside £5 million to pay for the closure of the Legal Complaints Service (LCS), its 2009 annual report has revealed. The report also revealed that the society spent £600,000 in legal fees on its unsuccessful attempt under TUPE to force the new Office for Legal Complaints to take on LCS staff.
Lawyers need to adapt to survive loosening regulation
Why do people become lawyers? In my case, as I suspect for many others, it was largely because my parents thought it a good idea. Some may have watched too much LA Law or read too much Rumpole. Quite a few lawyers I know couldn’t think of anything better to do.
Experience, not race, is key indicator of risk of regulatory action, says SRA report
Experience is a greater predictor of whether solicitors will face regulatory action, not race, an in-depth study has concluded. However, research commissioned by the Solicitors Regulation Authority said that in some situations SRA processes compounded the level of disproportionality currently experienced by BME solicitors.
Blog
Why later-life divorce requires a distinct professional framework
Later-life divorce, often described as ‘silver splitter’ or ‘grey divorce’ cases, is no longer a marginal feature of family law practice. It challenges long-standing assumptions about how divorce work is done.
Listening, learning and leading The Solicitor’s Charity with care
As I prepare to hand over the mantle of chair of The Solicitor’s Charity next month, it doesn’t feel like an end. Instead, it feels like a wonderful journey.
Is competition in the legal sector stifling innovation?
As the legal sector’s competitive landscape continues to evolve, Nobel laureates remind us that innovation is not inevitable,and that competition may not always be an incentive to innovate.
