Practice Management
No point in conveyancers trying to “export” Dreamvar fraud risk
Conveyancers acting for buyers should “think” rather than “automatically try to export the risk of identity fraud onto the seller’s conveyancer”, a specialist barrister has warned.
City firm did not unfairly dismiss employee, tribunal rules
City firm DAC Beachcroft acted with “conspicuous good faith” when dealing with a pregnant employee facing redundancy, a tribunal has ruled.
SQE “will increase inequality and deter working class students”
The idea that the Solicitors Qualifying Examination will improve diversity is false and instead it will have “devastating effects” on many individuals, two academics have claimed.
High Court orders partner to sell his share of law firm
The High Court has ruled that a partner in a law firm who paid himself £16,500 after he had left the firm and was “effectively competing with it” breached his director’s duties.
SQE to be introduced in autumn 2021
The Solicitors Qualifying Examination – the new way that solicitors will qualify – will be launched in autumn 2021, with the candidate fee likely to range between £3,000 and £4,500.
Gauke urges profession to push further on diversity
The legal profession has “a real opportunity to blaze a trail” on diversity, the Lord Chancellor said today. David Gauke said women at the very top of the profession should be the norm.
Mystery shoppers: Law firms good face-to-face but not on phone
Law firms are still underperforming when dealing with potential clients on the telephone rather than face-to-face, a mystery shopping survey has found.
Robot judges less likely than AI-assisted judges, QC predicts
Artificial intelligence is likely to be used to lower the cost and increase the speed of judicial decisions, a QC specialising in IT and algorithms has predicted.
Biggest client’s “IT disaster” tipped firm into administration
A “disastrous IT failure” suffered by a law firm’s biggest client tipped it over the edge into administration and a pre-pack sale to fast-growing national firm Taylor Rose TTKW.
Partner fails to strike out bank’s claim under guarantee
A former partner of a London firm that went into liquidation has lost his bid to strike out Barclays Bank’s claim to enforce a guarantee he provided to cover a loan and overdraft.
Blog
Is your Google Ads budget funding your competitors’ AI visibility?
If your cost-per-click has crept up again this year, you’ve probably assumed the market simply got more expensive. That’s the wrong way to read what’s happening.
Containing the spread of unapproved AI
Nearly 60% of fee-earners admit to using unapproved tools (like free versions of ChatGPT). Yet 68% of firm leaders are confident there is zero risk of unapproved AI being used for client work.
When AI adoption goes wrong, costs add up fast
City AM recently reported that London is fighting to claim the title of ‘global capital of legal AI’. However, it’s crucial we remember that adoption alone does not create value.
