Legal Services Act

The Legal Services Board has put obstacles in the way of lawyers trying to practise “well and honestly” rather than improving standards, the chairman of the Bar Council told barristers on Saturday.

Personal injury lawyers in small and medium-sized firms are akin to climate change deniers by not recognising how their market has changed or planning for the future, a survey published this week has claimed.

he barristers seeking to have the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) declared unlawful have lost a bid to reduce their costs exposure. Mr Justice Bean refused to amend the protective costs order granted earlier this month by Mr Justice Ouseley.

Not many solicitors’ firms have a corporate helicopter available for use by favoured clients to entertain their own customers, piloted by the multi-millionaire owner. Or a gym. Or a hotel. Welcome to Kidwells Law Solicitors, a new alternative business structure.

Keystone Law – the pioneering dispersed law firm – has marked its formal conversion to alternative business structure status by announcing that it is to take its model to Australia. Keystone has more than 130 senior lawyers working from home.

The number of alternative business structures (ABSs) licensed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority hit 200 yesterday, but the first ABS liquidation and first licence revocation have tempered any celebrations.

The launch of Riverview Law last year generated “shock, confusion and resentment” at a rival chambers whose membership supplied four of the new venture’s initial 12 QCs, but in the end it helped the set adapt to the new legal market, according to its commercial director.

Discontent is building among the frontline regulators over a Legal Services Board proposal that they should change their internal governance rules to require the chairs of regulatory boards to be lay and not legal professionals.

Four leading Manchester personal injury firms have joined forces to build a seven-figure war chest that will buy out practices wanting to exit the sector. Pi Gateway claims already to have nine transactions under consideration.

Artesian Law, the barrister-led legal disciplinary practice, is set to double in size after 18 months in business by actively recruiting associate members in order to expand beyond its mainstay of criminal legal aid work.

The possibility of clients buying ‘top-up’ cover to fill the gaps in compulsory professional indemnity insurance has been floated by the Legal Services Board as it set the scene for a significant shake-up of current financial protection arrangements.

Slater & Gordon has announced the acquisition of a well-known northern legal practice – but not the one everyone was expecting. There was no mention of the talks to buy the consumer practice of Pannone at its AGM today.

Ascent, the specialist debt alternative business structure that is part of the Irwin Mitchell Group, has outlined plans to more than double its turnover in the next three years. The Manchester-based firm has appointed two new chief operating officers to help drive the growth.

The Law Society has been granted permission to intervene in the judicial review of the legality of the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA). The society said it is intervening in the case “in the best interests of all advocates”.

Most aspects of legal services can be delivered nationally and there is still significant potential for big brands to come in and provide large scale, lower cost services, according to a major report into competition in the solicitors’ market.