Legal Services Act

Communications giant BT has become the first non-law firm to open a legal hub in Northern Ireland, investing over £2.7m to create up to 30 lawyer jobs in Belfast over the next four years.

Ince Group has unveiled a strong international performance this year to make up for a dip in UK revenues, while also disposing of the first law firm it acquired after listing.

The decision on whether to approve a 19% increase in the Legal Ombudsman’s budget is likely to be “finely balanced”, with the possibility of having to find an alternative to it lurking in the background.

Leading conveyancing firm O’Neill Patient – which was last year bought by a private equity firm – has spent £27m to buy a platform providing services to mortgage brokers and estate agents.

Leading black women lawyers have spoken about the challenges of succeeding in City law firms, including the problem of acquiring ‘gravitas’, and the fear of being seen as an ‘angry Black woman’.

Shakespeare Martineau has outlined its ambition to be a top 30 law firm by 2025 as it rolls out its unique new ‘house of brands’ strategy, with “crowdfunding” staff investment one possible way to raise finance.

The Law Society and Bar Council have welcomed Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s £1.6bn injection into the justice system but warned that it cannot be a one-off.

There is “much to celebrate” from the first decade of the Legal Services Act but the basic legal needs of many citizens are still not being met, the Legal Services Board said today.

The Legal Ombudsman’s first ever in-year call for supplementary budget, seeking an extra £344,000, has gone to the Lord Chancellor for approval after being given the green light by the Legal Services Board.

Listed law firm Knights has returned to the acquisition trail and its strategy of targeting secondary legal locations by striking a deal to move into Exeter, while also reporting “robust” trading.

An alternative business structure which launched as a specialist conveyancing firm with three staff in March 2019 is aiming to hit 50 staff across a range of practice areas by the end of 2021.

Midlands-based law firm Shakespeare Martineau has outlined a strategy to attract mergers, acquisitions and hires to a “house of brands” and double in size by 2023.

Around a third of Gateley’s 1,000 staff have taken up options under the listed law firm’s latest save as you earn share scheme, while Ince Group has a new major shareholder.

The two lawyers behind Anexo Group – the listed business that owns leading PI law firm Bond Turner – are set to receive £46m after selling some of their shares to a private equity investor.

PI firm Express Solicitors has made good on its plan to buy practices looking to exit the market by buying a Liverpool firm, while another targeting motor claims has sold its clinical negligence practice.