Practice Management

The boss of a Cheshire law firm has said the “constant theme” of recent appraisals is that “people want to come back to the office”, with another saying his firm has reversed plans to downsize its office.

Remote communication during Covid has sped up law firm mergers, rather than acting as a hindrance, according to the chairman of the Association of Law Firm Merger Advisers.

The High Court has rejected a challenge to a judgment in default obtained by two law firms whose retainers were terminated by a Swiss company, which then failed to pay them £500,000 in fees combined.

A 40-strong law firm based in Oxford has become the latest to embrace employee ownership, with the firm’s managing director saying she was inspired to act by how staff rallied during Covid.

The Council for Licensed Conveyancers is set to become the first regulator to introduce a ‘polluter pays’ element to how it recovers the cost of the Legal Ombudsman from those it regulates.

Two-thirds of law firms say the increase in digital learning as a result of the pandemic will continue, but a quarter of firms told a survey their lawyers have “no time” for training during the working day.

A well-known law firm did not fire its chief executive because he made protected disclosures about financial problems that were discovered at the practice, the Employment Appeal Tribunal has ruled.

A former equity partner at Freeths has won a disability discrimination claim over the way the leading midlands law firm treated him after he was diagnosed with mental health problems.

Three-quarters of law firms furloughed fee-earners last year and 84% support staff, a Law Society survey has found. Some 15% were forced to negotiate ‘time to pay’ arrangements with HMRC.

Law firms should advertise unbundled services or offer them directly to clients, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has said, highlighting the “untapped potential” to support consumers in accessing advice.