Practice Management
Poll: Public have negative view of increase in legal services advertising
The increase in advertising legal services is having a negative effect on the justice system, according to a survey of 1,261 members of the public. There were similar findings in relation to the growth of ‘no win, no fee’ cases.
City lawyers warn PII reforms “risk damaging solicitor brand”
City solicitors have outlined their deep scepticism about plans by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to reform professional indemnity insurance rules, warning that “the solicitor brand should not be placed at risk” without very good reason.
Consumers and lawyers seeing benefits of unbundling legal services, major research finds
Consumers using ‘unbundled’ legal services generally report a positive experience and it has the potential to widen access to justice, groundbreaking exploratory research has found. However, it made clear that other solutions were also needed to address the legal needs of “more vulnerable consumers” unable to unbundle.
Judge orders removal of defamatory references to law firm on Solicitors From Hell copycat website
A High Court judge has ordered the take-down of pages of an anti-solicitor website that contain defamatory statements about a law firm, after a litigation opponent alleged their publication was “evidence that the firm was disreputable”.
BLP enlists AI to shoulder process work burden – and so far the lawyers like it
Global law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner will be using artificial intelligence across every practice area within three years, the man credited with bringing AI technology to its real estate department has predicted.
Legal Services Board approves relaxation of rules on accountants’ reports
The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s plans to relax the rules around accountants’ reports have been formally approved by the Legal Services Board, meaning that around 1,000 more law firms will not have to submit one in future
Axiom launches contracting platform to take the pain out of routine agreements
Legal services disruptor Axiom has claimed to be “the undisputed market leader in all things contracting” after launching an online platform that enables businesses to handle routine contracts with little effort.
SRA hits back after Law Society attack on indemnity reforms
Paul Philip, chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority, has hit back after the SRA’s latest indemnity insurance plans were fiercely criticised by the Law Society. He said the regulator had made “absolutely no new recommendations”.
It’s all about the pictures: government considers radical changes to contracts
Radical changes are being considered for government contracts for digital services, including removing “negative language”, limiting sentences to two lines and hosting boilerplate clauses online. Use of visual images is also being encouraged.
Exclusive: Software suppliers unite to launch free rival to Veyo
A free version of conveyancing portal Veyo, called Free2Convey, is to be launched by the Legal Software Suppliers Association (LSSA) at the end of this month. Matt Lancaster, chair of the LSSA, said he hoped as many law firms as possible would use it.
Blog
Why good governance matters when managing Law Society forms
Everyday legal transactions rely on Law Society forms. But they are often treated as static templates rather than what they really are: living documents that change over time.
A letter from the SRA? Your first reaction matters
An email from the SRA has a way of rearranging a working day. It arrives in the same inbox as everything else, often in the same measured tone, yet it carries a different weight.
Regulate sole practices on evidence, not turnover
For a sole practice, the SRA’s plan that I cannot hold a compliance role if my firm has more than £600,000 of turnover is not a measure of risk. It is a ceiling on growth.
Reports
Associates
