Practice Management

A law firm has lost an appeal against a penalty imposed by HM Revenue & Customs for the late payment of tax under PAYE, with the tribunal saying it should have posted the cheque in good time.

General counsel have become so insistent in demanding that law firms give them Black candidates for secondments and legal work that they are in danger of draining them of Black talent.

The private equity investor who set Keystone Law on the road to listing is on the look-out for a new legal venture – but is not interested in traditional law firm partnerships.

Echelon Law, an alternative business structure which specialises in buying small high street law firms with succession problems, is set to acquire three more, Legal Futures can report.

A niche law firm which advises on employee share ownership and executive pay has become the latest to convert to an employee ownership trust.

Bonuses for managers could be made contingent on improvements in social mobility and the representation of minority ethnic people in law firms, it was suggested yesterday.

Positive action – such as giving female barristers preferential access to briefs after returning to chambers from career breaks – can help address diversity problems, the Bar Council says.

A host of mergers and acquisitions have been announced now that the 1 October deadline that most firms still stick to for their insurance renewal has passed, following a series unveiled last month.

Slater & Gordon’s ambition to become the country’s leading consumer law firm will mainly be fulfilled online as it looks to automate as much legal work as it can, its chief executive has explained.

The suspension of office working under lockdown has helped improve the mental and physical health of disabled lawyers, research has indicated.