Practice Management
“Boris deserves it” paralegal leaves firm after storm
An law firm has condemned the “deeply offensive” remarks of a paralegal who has left the business after making headlines with a post on Facebook that Boris Johnson deserved to catch coronavirus.
Legal Access Challenge winners scoop extra £50k each
A technology platform which supports survivors of domestic abuse and a chatbot helping people with learning disabilities understand their social care rights, have won the Legal Access Challenge.
Court rejects “fanciful” conveyancing negligence claim
The High Court has rejected a “fanciful” £600,000 conveyancing negligence claim against the law firm Gateley, based on an error admitted by the firm.
Daughter in CoP case questions “second-rate” Skype justice
An academic who was present at the first Court of Protection hearing to be conducted over Skype last month has raised concerns over its impact on relatives and witnesses.
Negligent firm ordered to pay €3.5m to property investors
A defunct Italian law firm that operated in London has been ordered by the High Court to pay €3.5m to investors in a failed holiday development that allegedly had links to the Mafia.
Firms launches ‘will through a window’ service
A law firm in Wiltshire is offering a ‘Wills through a window’ service as law firms look for ways to execute wills validly amidst a spike in demand due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Lawyers and HMCTS launch remote hearings resource
A project has gone live enabling the global justice community to share experiences of developing remote alternatives to physical court hearings in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Crown prosecutor with PTSD was not discrimination victim
An experienced Crown prosecutor who resigned after developing post-traumatic stress order from being threatened at a magistrates’ court was not discriminated against, a tribunal has ruled.
SRA relaxes assessment rules for students and trainees
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has today outlined a significant relaxation of its rules for law students and trainees to allow more of their assessment to go online.
Don’t believe the hype: “Modest” take-up of lawtech
The take-up of many forms of lawtech are “modest” in England and Wales, and especially so for technology assisted by artificial intelligence, despite the hype around it, new research has found.
Blog
From templates to culture change: Lessons from the SRA on source of funds
The SRA’s new thematic review into source of funds and wealth reveals both progress and persistent blind spots, with source-of-funds checks too often thought of as a procedural hurdle.
Change in regulator shouldn’t make AML less of a priority
While SRA fines for AML have been climbing, many in the profession aren’t confident they will get any relief from the FCA, a body used to dealing with a highly regulated industry.
There are 17 million wills waiting to be written
The main reason cited by people who do not have a will was a lack of awareness as to how to arrange one. As a professional community, we seem to be failing to get our message across.
