Legal Services Act

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has rejected potential alternative business structures on the basis that the aim was really to continue illegal referral fee arrangements, it emerged this week.

Jordans – the business known for company formation services and publishing legal textbooks – now has a corporate law firm after receiving its alternative business structure licence.

Minster Law – the major claimant practice now owned by insurance group BGL – has joined top personal injury marketing business National Accident Helpline (NAH), becoming its largest panel member.

A firm of accountants in Devon has become only the third to launch a legal arm after winning an alternative business structure licence. Davisons Legal Services began trading last week, with former City lawyer Philip Vickery as its head of legal practice.

QualitySolicitors has today launched a new advertising campaign that aims to tackle common preconceptions about lawyers, using the tag line ‘Changing the way you see lawyers’.

The Legal Services Board has today published its “blueprint for deregulation”, the culmination of which would be a new single regulator for the legal market that is “organisationally, statutorily and culturally fully independent of both government and representative bodies’ vested interests”.

The Law Society’s bid to regain powers from the Solicitors Regulation Authority is “quite staggering”, the chair of the Legal Services Consumer Panel has said – and it has stiffened her resolve to oppose any return to self-regulation.

A long-awaited judicial review of the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) has been launched by criminal law barristers against the Legal Services Board (LSB).

Winn Solicitors – the firm which was last week bought by two private equity businesses – now has the firepower to expand beyond its core road traffic practice, founder Jeff Winn has told Legal Futures.

Pattinson & Brewer and Beecham Peacock have created a joint venture that widens both firms’ offering to trade unions. Lawyers 4 Unions – which is styled as ‘Pattinson Brewer in association with Beecham Peacock’ – was launched yesterday at the annual Trades Union Congress.

Well-known London law firm Schillings – which was granted two alternative business structure licences in March – has relaunched as a business that integrates IT security, legal advice and risk consulting to help companies and individuals protect their reputations.

Primary legislation will be required to bring complaints against claims management companies within the remit of the Legal Ombudsman, the government has admitted for the first time.

Lewis Hymanson Small – the law firm bought by AIM-listed Abbey Protection earlier this year – made a small dent in the company’s profits during a “tough” initial period, Abbey’s half-year results have shown. They also lay out how much it paid for the Manchester practice.

The Legal Services Board has urged the Law Society and Solicitors Regulation Authority to “actively look for savings opportunities” after the society’s budget increased by £11.5m for the next year. It also criticised a lack of consultation with fee payers over what they will have to pay.

Winn Solicitors – which has grown in a decade from nothing to a highly profitable £40m volume claimant personal injury firm – is set for further expansion after being bought by two international investment companies.