Practice Management
Conveyancing referral fee rules given year to work to avoid ban
New rules requiring estate agents to be transparent about referral fees received from conveyancers will have a year to prove themselves or a ban will be back on the table, the housing minister has said.
Bullying and harassment calls to legal helpline double
Calls from lawyers complaining of bullying and harassment to health support charity LawCare almost doubled last year, but there has been no massive spike in calls about sexual harassment.
Research to probe ethical issues raised by legal technology
A project that will look at the ethical and others issues that technology raises for legal services and their regulation has been launched by the Legal Services Board.
Vos: “Court technology can speed up progress on diversity”
Lawtech can provide a “virtuous circle” that simultaneously both improves access to justice and delivers social and gender mobility to the upper reaches of the judiciary, according to a senior judge.
VAT risk for law firms handling insurers’ claims work
New guidance on delegated authority claims handling by lawyers may create additional VAT costs for law firms and lead to disputes with their insurance clients, accountants have warned.
“Reproduction of the legal profession” at risk from automation
If junior associates are “gradually culled” from law firms as a result of automation, the “entire reproduction of the legal profession could be jeopardised”, a leading academic has warned.
Successor practice application against City firm “futile”
A successor practice application against a City law firm should be struck out, a High Court master has ruled, but only after the claimant has been given a chance to amend his claim.
Court orders insurer to cover negligent solicitors’ unpaid costs
The insurer of a negligent Italian law firm operating in London has been ordered to pay £3m in costs to the victims after the lawyers failed to pay up.
The Law Superstore relaunches 18 months after takeover
Legal comparison website The Law Superstore this week relaunched after spending more than a year switching to a simpler, lower-cost lead generating model.
MPs to probe access to justice impact of court modernisation
MPs are to probe the access to justice implications of the £1bn court modernisation programme. The justice select committee will consider issues such as the increasing use of digital technology.
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
