Practice Management
Acquisitive law firms keep up pace with slew of fresh deals
This year’s M&A activity has continued with deals announced by law firms owned by employees, public shareholders and a global investment manager.
Private equity takes stake in remote-working commercial law firm
A fast-growing commercial law firm whose lawyers work remotely has become the latest to take private equity backing, with LDC buying a large minority stake.
Discrimination still prevalent in profession, say women lawyers
Most women in law (88%) believe sex discrimination is still prevalent in the profession, with 63% saying they had personally experienced it in the last five years.
Call for action to help small law firms adopt technology
Tech adoption by small law firms is being held back by cost, uncertainty and a reluctance to invest in systems that quickly become outdated or non-compliant, according to SRA research.
Law firm prices have risen ahead of inflation since 2020
Prices for basic legal services have increased by more than inflation in recent years, while law firms offering fixed costs are significantly cheaper than those giving estimates.
Wealth management business sells ABS to local law firm
A blue-chip wealth management company has transferred the law firm it has owned since 2017 to a well-known East Midlands law firm.
Acquisition marks next step in aggressive growth at Octopus Legacy
The Octopus Group, the £13bn financial services and energy business, claims it is now the second largest estate planning business in the country after buying WSL Will Writing.
Kent firm’s London expansion leads latest M&A deals
Kent firm Judge & Priestley has moved into the capital by acquiring Portner Law in one of several mergers and acquisitions announced this month.
Apprenticeship funding cut will “undo progress” in profession’s diversity
Changes announced yesterday to how Level 7 apprenticeships are funded will undo “years of progress” in improving the legal profession’s diversity, the government has been told.
Government to restrict funding for solicitor apprenticeships
The government is to restrict funding for Level 7 apprenticeships, like the solicitor offering, to those aged between 16 and 21, it has announced.
Blog
Change in regulator shouldn’t make AML less of a priority
While SRA fines for AML have been climbing, many in the profession aren’t confident they will get any relief from the FCA, a body used to dealing with a highly regulated industry.
There are 17 million wills waiting to be written
The main reason cited by people who do not have a will was a lack of awareness as to how to arrange one. As a professional community, we seem to be failing to get our message across.
The case for a single legal services regulator: why the current system is failing
From catastrophic firm collapses to endemic compliance failures, the evidence is mounting that the current multi-regulator model is fundamentally broken.
