Practice Management
International firm launches automated T&Cs product
Global law firm giant Reed Smith has launched a product that automates the legal bit of online competitions, with lawyers or non-legal consumers able to generate t&cs in multiple languages in compliance with local laws.
In-house lawyers need to “grasp nettle” with legal tech
Law firms are “way ahead” of in-house lawyers in adoption of legal tech and the latter need to “grasp the nettle”, the chief executive of a start-up which helps corporate counsel manage their workload has argued.
Law firms “fobbing off clients” with AI claims
Lawyers’ devotion to billable hour has stopped truly disruptive technology from changing the way legal services are delivered to the public, last week’s Legal Futures Innovation Conference was told.
Arbitration and ODR to settle smart contract disputes
Arbitration and online dispute resolution should be used when there are disputes about smart contracts, the Chancellor of the High Court has said.
Online law school bursts onto scene for SQE
An online-only law school entered the market yesterday to deliver the new Solicitors Qualifying Examination, with heavyweight backing from leading academics and lawyers.
Pre-92 universities lead way with BPTC pass-rates
The pre-1992 universities achieve the best results in the centralised exams taken by students on the Bar Professional Training Course, it has emerged.
Algorithmic-based decision-making is “risk to justice”
The head of the Criminal Bar Association has outlined her “grave concerns” about algorithmic technology that is being used in the justice system without adequate regulation.
Hale: Half of judges will be women by 2033
Half of the judges in England and Wales will be women in fewer than 14 years, Lady Hale predicted this weekend, suggesting that Lord Sumption was wrong to says gender parity would take 50 years.
Law firm co-founder was not an employee, tribunal rules
One of the barrister founders of a pioneering legal aid firm in the North-East was not an employee or worker and so cannot bring unfair dismissal and other claims, an employment tribunal has ruled.
Supreme Court backs miner’s claim against solicitors
A miner who lost the chance of compensation due to the negligence of his solicitors is entitled to damages because later evidence indicating that he was not eligible was irrelevant, the Supreme Court has ruled.
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.
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