Practice Management
Reduced legal budgets seen as biggest virus challenge
Lawyers have identified reduced client budgets for legal work as the biggest threat to the profession from the pandemic in a new report.
Court reforms data collection progress “disappointing”
The government’s £1bn court reforms have had a “disappointingly slow” start in collecting the information required to ensure the justice system is fair, according to researchers.
“Don’t drain law firms of Black talent”, GCs told
General counsel have become so insistent in demanding that law firms give them Black candidates for secondments and legal work that they are in danger of draining them of Black talent.
Remote hearings “can bring horror into your home”, says judge
A particularly unwelcome issue for judges hearing cases remotely is that some of the most disturbing elements of serious family cases are being heard at home, a High Court judge has reported.
Remote hearing success means no backlog in some family courts
The family court system has adapted so well to remote working that some courts do not have a backlog of cases, the president of the Family Division said yesterday.
Ethics worry with lawyers and lawtech firms “not speaking same language”
Solicitors are concerned that some new legal technology they buy does not take into account their professional rules and ethical duties because lawtech firms are “not speaking the same language”.
Bullying at the Bar “tolerated”, with pupils suffering most
Bullying, discrimination and harassment at the Bar is perceived to be tolerated “to a certain extent” due to its “adversarial, male-dominated culture and competitive nature”, new research has found.
In-house solicitor wins unfair dismissal claim against insurer
A solicitor working in-house at a leading insurer has won his claim for unfair dismissal. But had it followed the correct procedure, the dismissal would likely have been justified, the tribunal said.
Obelisk adds paralegals and junior lawyers to freelance pool
Flexible resourcing pioneer Obelisk Support has launched a new paralegal service for law firms and in-house teams, with plans to add 500 full-time paralegals and junior lawyers to its talent pool.
Employee ownership move like “rocket fuel”, says firm
A niche law firm which advises on employee share ownership and executive pay has become the latest to convert to an employee ownership trust.
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
