Practice Management
Client sued over unpaid fees loses appeal against contempt sentence
A man sued by a Kent law firm for unpaid fees has lost his appeal against a suspended sentence handed out for contempt over his failure to comply with court orders.
Project races to tackle tech’s impact on fundamental legal rights
Law societies and Bar associations should draw up principles for software developers and the lawyers who use their products to guarantee access to justice, according to the head of a team of experts.
Parliamentarians hear call for quotas to boost profession’s diversity
There is a “lead ceiling” hampering the advancement of ethnic minority lawyers to the senior ranks of the profession and quotas are needed to bring about change, parliamentarians have been told.
“Ignorance” the main barrier to law firm EOTs, says newest adopter
The managing director of the latest law firm to become an employee ownership trust has said the biggest barrier is the “ignorance” of solicitors.
Coca-Cola to penalise outside firms for insufficiently diverse teams
Drinks giant Coca-Cola is to start penalising its panel law firms with reduced fees if they fail to deliver on diversity commitments, in a shift starting in the US and then expanding globally.
Calls to LawCare about anxiety more than double
Calls from legal professionals about anxiety more than doubled in 2020, the chief executive of welfare charity LawCare has said – a third of all contacts related to Covid.
Lack of data leaves courts “flying blind” on impact of Covid, MPs told
The courts system is failing to collect vital information about the performance of judges and trials during the Covid-19 pandemic, an expert has told Parliament, leaving observers “flying blind”.
Competition hots up to become standard software for in-house teams
A software platform aimed at bringing together the various apps used by corporate legal teams is launched today, while another product aimed at the same market has raised $14m.
GCs at private equity firms “lack control of legal spending”
Senior in-house lawyers at large private equity firms are responsible for the cost of instructing law firms but lack the power to control it, a study has found.
Law firm awarded £25k damages for defamatory Trustpilot review
The High Court has awarded a law firm damages of £25,000 for a defamatory review on Trustpilot posted by a disgruntled former client who paid £200 for advice.
Blog
Your website is losing clients before they even pick up the phone
Your website visitor is likely already carrying stress before they arrive. If your site adds to it rather than relieves it, you have likely lost a prospective client.
The growing importance of higher limits in personal ATE
While the personal litigation market is undergoing a period of significant change as claims become more complex, much of the ATE insurance market has remained relatively static.
The profession can play a greater role in improving access to justice
In this, the third blog of my series, I focus on what lawyers in the UK can do to improve access to justice through greater professional stewardship.
Reports
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