Practice Management
Law firm discriminated against blind ex-managing partner
A Brighton law firm discriminated against its blind former managing partner on the grounds of disability, an employment tribunal has found.
Law firm was instructed “when clients agreed to visit its offices”
People buying holiday home became clients of a law firm after agreeing to visit its offices to complete their purchases, making it liable for negligence, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
Government puts money and influence behind lawtech industry
The Lord Chancellor last night threw his weight behind the UK’s lawtech industry, and is creating a panel to help accelerate the development of innovative technologies.
Home owners “do not trust” law firms referred by estate agents
A significant proportion of home owners do not trust the law firms they are referred to by estate agents, a survey has found.
“AI not delivering for poorest” says technology reality check
Artificial intelligence, chatbots and hackathons may be developments that have great potential or are delivering exciting commercial applications, but they are doing rather less at present for access to justice.
High run-off premiums “holding profession back”, says innovator
The profession should work with indemnity insurers to deal flexibly with run-off risks and encourage large law firms to merge with small ones, according to a solicitor entrepreneur.
National chambers aims to revolutionise case management IT for barristers
Innovative national chambers Clerksroom is teaming up with the likes of Microsoft and Lloyds Bank to build an end-to-end case management system for barristers.
Indemnity insurance reforms not worth the risk, cautions ABI
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is wrong to assume that premiums will fall as a result of its professional indemnity insurance reforms, the Association of British Insurers has warned.
Female leadership programmes need to start delivering, says PLC boss
Female leadership programmes within law firms need to “walk the talk” and actually increase women’s representation at the top of the legal profession.
Vos heralds end of physical trials in vision of online justice
A leading judge has heralded the end of the traditional court hearing for commercial disputes, where lawyers for parties sit simultaneously in a physical court room, in all but exceptional cases.
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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