Regulation
Law Society warns government against moves that threaten independence
The Law Society has spoken out against government plans to impose on the Solicitors Regulation Authority a duty to promote economic growth, which it said threatened the independence of the profession.
Peers pave way for new breed of lawyer – licensed probate practitioners
The House of Lords has given the Council for Licensed Conveyancers the power to issue standalone licences for people to conduct reserved probate work without them having to become licensed conveyancers first.
“Tragedy” of struck-off solicitor – but High Court upholds dishonesty finding
A solicitor with an “unblemished” record stretching back many years has failed in his attempt to appeal a Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal decision that found him guilty of dishonesty. Mr Justice Holman said it was a “great personal and professional tragedy”.
Tribunal gives SRA a pasting in first appeal against use of power to rebuke solicitor
In what is believed to be the first appeal against a sanction imposed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has revoked the decision to rebuke a solicitor and his firm over alleged failures to nominate compliance officers in time and disclose a suitability issue.
LSB underplaying needs of “vulnerable” in favour of business, warns bar regulator
The Legal Services Board should not put the needs of business users of the courts before the “most vulnerable and disempowered”, the Bar Standards Board has argued.
Law Society warns LeO away from taking on complaints against unregulated providers
The Law Society has told the Legal Ombudsman that solicitors’ practising certificate fees should not be used for ‘thought leadership’ exercises that extend beyond legal services.
LSB asks regulators to justify restrictions on in-house lawyers
Unnecessary restrictions on in-house lawyers could “impose costs and red tape, frustrate innovation and adversely affect access to justice”, the Legal Services Board has argued.
CLC criticises Law Society’s “quasi-regulatory” conveyancing schemes
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has criticised “quasi-regulatory” conveyancing schemes launched by the Law Society which could be seen as “duplicating” the CLC’s work.
LSB: regulators making progress – but not on understanding users of legal services
The profession’s regulators are not doing enough to understand the consumers of lawyers’ services, the Legal Services Board has warned. But it said there has been progress since the first assessment in 2012/13.
BSB eyes loosening constraints on design of both BPTC and pupillages
The Bar Standards Board has said that there is no need for the Bar Professional Training Course to be delivered as “one, integrated course”, and is also set to give chambers and employers more freedom to design pupillages.
Blog
Fixed recoverable costs: Sacrificing justice for predictability?
The extended fixed recoverable costs regime is failing to achieve its stated objectives. Instead of promoting fairness and efficiency, the rules are creating anomalies that undermine justice.
Expectations keep rising, so prioritise client experience
Law firms are facing growing pressure to place greater focus on client experience or risk falling behind in an increasingly competitive legal market.
Want sustainable growth? Look to operational excellence
Many firms are being forced to reassess where growth will come from. Increasingly, the answer lies in operational excellence: creating capacity from existing teams.
