Regulation
Barrister apprentices on way as training reforms are approved
The Legal Services Board has approved the new training regime for barristers that will open up four routes to qualification, including an apprenticeship, and strength regulatory oversight of the inns of court.
Now is not the time to rewrite Legal Services Act, says Law Society
Now is not the “appropriate time” to embark on wholesale reform of the Legal Services Act, the Law Society has told the independent review into the regulation of legal services.
Keen: “Room to review” legal regulation regime
There is “room for review” of the legal regulation regime, made more urgent by the developments in technology, Lord Keen, the Ministry of Justice’s spokesman in the House of Lords, said yesterday.
Suspension of Coops solicitor sheds light on Asons deal
The solicitor who headed Bolton personal injury firm Coops Law – which bought controversial practice Asons – has been suspended for the way it took on 6,000 files without clients’ permission.
Solicitor jailed for fraud, leaving former boss “betrayed”
A solicitor who was being groomed to take over a Liverpool law firm has been jailed for a £13,400 fraud, leaving his former boss with an “indescribable” feeling of betrayal.
Rebukes for drug-importing solicitor and paralegal who lied on CV
A solicitor has been rebuked and fined after receiving a police caution for importing a class C drug, while a paralegal was rebuked and banned for lying about her qualifications on her CV.
Judiciary pulls back on ban for fee-charging McKenzie Friends
While “deeply concerned” about the growth in fee-charging McKenzie Friends, the judiciary has failed to decide whether they should be banned – three years after consulting on doing just that.
Solicitor jailed for forging Land Registry document
A property solicitor who forged a Land Registry document as part of a dispute with a business partner has been jailed three years and eight months, along with her husband.
Bar Council urges barristers to call out judicial bullying
The Bar Council has called on barristers to take action over bullying by judges that they experience or witness, and is looking at a new approach to overcome reluctance to report incidents.
“Testosterone overdose” deterring women from profession
Support for diversity initiatives has come from the upper levels of the barristers’ profession, with a top QC warning of a “teststerone overdose” in the wake of criticism of how some men behave.
Blog
Why later-life divorce requires a distinct professional framework
Later-life divorce, often described as ‘silver splitter’ or ‘grey divorce’ cases, is no longer a marginal feature of family law practice. It challenges long-standing assumptions about how divorce work is done.
Listening, learning and leading The Solicitor’s Charity with care
As I prepare to hand over the mantle of chair of The Solicitor’s Charity next month, it doesn’t feel like an end. Instead, it feels like a wonderful journey.
Is competition in the legal sector stifling innovation?
As the legal sector’s competitive landscape continues to evolve, Nobel laureates remind us that innovation is not inevitable,and that competition may not always be an incentive to innovate.
