Practice Management
Cabinet minister urges more action to ensure gender equality in the law
Equal pay and a change in culture that makes women feel “comfortable in the working environment” are the keys to ensuring a “truly fair, equal, and diverse legal profession”, a cabinet minister who used to be a City solicitor has argued.
“I want to dominate the market,” says entrepreneur as he secures £12m funding for clin neg ABS
An entrepreneur has revealed plans to combine a claims management company, a consumer website and the clinical negligence department of a top 100 firm to form a market-dominating alternative business structure.
Conveyancers overtake family lawyers in complaints league table
Conveyancers have usurped family lawyers as the main cause of complaints to the Legal Ombudsman, its annual report has revealed. But it also urged lawyers to think twice before pushing for formal decisions rather than accepting informal resolutions to complaints.
Exclusive: only 13% of home movers choose cheapest conveyancer, major survey reveals
A major survey of 4,500 home movers has found that only 13% chose the conveyancer offering the cheapest fee. The survey also found that people were more likely to recommend their estate agent to friends than their conveyancer.
Barrister rating site not aiming to “undermine the Bar”
A new website which encourages clients to rate barristers aims to help direct access barristers, and “is not looking to undermine the Bar”, its founder has said.
City law firm in dash to add artificial intelligence to software robots
City law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner is in discussions with a specialist provider of artificial intelligence computing to improve its ability to search documents in the field of commercial contracts.
Home buyers dissatisfied with conveyancers and moving process, survey finds
There is considerable unhappiness among home buyers and sellers with conveyancers and the speed of the moving process, new research has found. More than 40% of consumers were unsure or unlikely to offer them repeat business.
Big fall in firms heading for closure after failing to find indemnity insurance
A total of 49 firms are heading for closure after failing to secure indemnity insurance, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has said. This compares with 138 which were forced to shut for the same reason last year.
Exclusive: in-house lawyers complain about firms failing to offer pricing options
Large corporate clients are demanding “far more” fixed fee and ‘menu’ pricing, but are having to push firms into providing it, a survey based on interviews with 40 in-house teams and 50 top 100 law firms has found.
Lawyer-matching service targets major growth after cash injection
A new lawyer-matching service aimed particularly at tech start-ups has secured £260,000 of funding from e-commerce funder Forward Partners and Jonathan McKay, chairman of JustGiving.
Blog
Our vision for 2026: A shared approach to AML
We want to see law firms start taking AML compliance as seriously as it deserves. This means treating it not as a tick-box exercise or a procedural necessity, but as a serious part of company culture.
Why later-life divorce requires a distinct professional framework
Later-life divorce, often described as ‘silver splitter’ or ‘grey divorce’ cases, is no longer a marginal feature of family law practice. It challenges long-standing assumptions about how divorce work is done.
Listening, learning and leading The Solicitor’s Charity with care
As I prepare to hand over the mantle of chair of The Solicitor’s Charity next month, it doesn’t feel like an end. Instead, it feels like a wonderful journey.
