Practice Management

QualitySolicitors has teamed up with a mediation provider to offer a fixed-fee legal solution for the type of small claims disputes that it said most “shortsighted” law firms will not touch. It said law firms were missing out on potential clients of the future.

Leading civil liberties practice Hodge Jones & Allen has received a full apology and damages from The Times newspaper over an article which accused the firm of misleading victims of the Magdalene laundries in Ireland.

The fears of litigants about the high cost of legal representation were borne out by their experience, government-commissioned research has found.

A pioneering alternative business structure (ABS) has become one of the first legal practices to introduce employee ownership, while also developing a new form of billing that will see it agree a profit margin with clients, Legal Futures can reveal.

The major quality marks used in the profession are becoming more credible, but many still have “a long way to go” before consumers can use them with confidence, a new assessment has concluded.

Solicitors will be able to close down thousands of client accounts with residual balances of up to £500 and donate the money to charity under plans unveiled yesterday by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The regulator is also planning to end the annual ‘keeping of the roll’ exercise.

The referral fee ban has reduced the number of nuisance calls made to potential personal injury claimants, the government has claimed. It is also looking to increase its powers over claims management companies yet further so that it can fine them up to 20% of their turnover.

The UK’s top law firms have become increasingly sceptical about listing on the stock market or taking on private equity investment, according to new research.

Irwin Mitchell has signalled its intention to grow “substantially” in the coming years after securing a £60m four-year finance package with three major UK banks. The deal also includes a £30m ‘accordion’ facility for further finance if required for a big transaction.

Profits were up last year and confidence is buoyant for the coming year among small and medium-sized law firms, according to a major benchmarking survey. Nine out of 10 firms surveyed thought profits would increase during 2014.