Practice Management
Double acquisition creates new big player in legal IT
Hugely acquisitive IT company the Access Group has blown into the legal market by adding DPS Software to its purchase last month of Eclipse Legal Systems, with more deals to come.
SRA to review regime for checking solicitors’ competence
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to launch a review of its approach to solicitors’ continuing competence, amid calls for spot checks or accreditation schemes to reassure consumers.
Freshfields: Covid has “accelerated” innovation culture change
The demands of working under Covid-19 has led to an accelerated culture change at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, with lawyers much more willing to adopt tech solutions rapidly.
Farewill raises £20m to fuel exponential growth
Online will-writer Farewill has raised £20m as it targets a major expansion in revenue, staff numbers and new services, including powers of attorney.
Appeal judges reject divorcee’s negligence claim
The Court of Appeal has upheld a ruling that a negligence claim brought by a woman against her law firm over its work on her divorce was out of time.
Inquiry was “right to refuse” participants choice of lawyer
The High Court has upheld a decision refusing two ‘core participants’ in the infected blood public inquiry the right to nominate their own solicitors.
Investors back lawyer-free online divorce service
An online service that helps divorcing couples draft their own documents and not use lawyers has received a new round of funding to increase the number of people it can help.
City law firms sign race recruitment pledge
A group of 17 City law firms, including seven of the top 10, have signed a ‘race fairness commitment’ to improve recruitment and retention of black, Asian and minority ethnic lawyers.
Covid-19 “will change law firm offices forever”
A global law firm has predicted that as many as 80% of its workforce will remain transient or permanently working from home after Covid-19, with only around a fifth being full-time office workers.
AI redefining what it means to be a ‘great’ lawyer
Automation in the legal profession will most probably be “a decades-long process” but artificial intelligence (AI) is redefining what it means to be a ‘great’ lawyer.
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
