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SRA to review regime for checking solicitors’ competence
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to launch a review of its approach to solicitors’ continuing competence, amid calls for spot checks or accreditation schemes to reassure consumers.
City law firms sign race recruitment pledge
A group of 17 City law firms, including seven of the top 10, have signed a ‘race fairness commitment’ to improve recruitment and retention of black, Asian and minority ethnic lawyers.
Covid-19 “will change law firm offices forever”
A global law firm has predicted that as many as 80% of its workforce will remain transient or permanently working from home after Covid-19, with only around a fifth being full-time office workers.
GCs: Covid-19 has showcased lawyers’ adaptability
Many aspects of the adaptability shown by lawyers during the Covid-19 crisis should stand them in good stead in future dealings with clients, it has been claimed.
Top female lawyers’ careers squeezed by bias and harassment
The role of discrimination on the part of both general counsel and clients in disadvantaging female lawyers was revealed yesterday by a survey on improving diversity at partner level in law firms.
“Relax apprenticeship levy rules” to help law firms
The Law Society has called on the government to allow firms to use the apprenticeship levy more flexibly than now to create new jobs and retrain staff as part of the support needed in the wake of Covid-19.
Apprenticeships “not working for the disadvantaged”
Workers from disadvantaged backgrounds are being left behind by the apprenticeship system, including in the law, with numbers slumping by more than a third since the apprenticeship levy was introduced.
SRA to launch project on BAME student underachievement
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is set to begin a multi-year project to increase understanding of why Black, Asian and minority ethnic students perform worse than white students.
Tribunal strikes out “vexatious” claims against leading firm
A former employee of national law firm Shoosmiths – who won damages for harassment back in 2017 – has had a string of further claims thrown out, with a tribunal branding them vexatious.
Society warns firms over staff refusing to return to office
It is not clear whether staff can refuse to come into work or decide to leave a workplace if they think it’s unsafe because of Covid-19, the Law Society has told law firms.
Blog
From ‘year zero’ to £6.5m – how a law firm found its second life
In 2018, I hit what I call ‘year zero’. On paper, Olliers Solicitors was a top-tier criminal defence firm but beneath the surface, I could see we were at a crossroads.
Linklaters’ chief growth officer takes the ‘blank sheet’ challenge
In the third and final part of this series, Lucy Murphy, chief growth officer at magic circle firm Linklaters, outlines her vision for the law firm of the future.
The ‘blank sheet’ challenge, part 2 – what would you do differently?
In the second part of this blog series, Shainul Kassam, managing director of small London firm Fortune Law, sets out how she would set up a law firm now.
