Legal Services Act

The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives and Council for Licensed Conveyancers have thrown their hats into the ring to regulate will-writers, amid further criticism of the Legal Services Board’s decision not to extend regulation to estate administration.

A culture of defensiveness among lawyers risks the sort of regulatory failure that occurred in the Mid-Staffordshire Hospital Trust patient neglect scandal – and legal regulators must take heed, the head of the Legal Services Consumer Panel has warned.

The Legal Services Board (LSB) will today formally recommend to the Lord Chancellor that will-writing – but not estate administration – should be regulated legal work. The LSB had initially intended to include estate administration.

Consumers, solicitors and will-writers have united to condemn the Legal Services Board’s decision not to recommend to the government that estate administration become a regulated activity. However, chartered accountants have welcomed it.

A leading merger broker has entered the legal market after joining forces with specialist advisory firm Invest in Law, Legal Futures can reveal. Langcliffe Merger Connect, which spun out of accountancy firm RSM Tenon last year, said it wanted to capitalise on the increasing M&A activity in the sector.

An East Midlands firm of independent financial advisers is building a law firm from scratch to provide a one-stop shop for clients after obtaining an alternative business structure licence. Bobby Dhanjal Wealth Management has launched Bobby Dhanjal Legal Services Limited.

Consumers believe regulators ensure they have protections when buying legal services – although they don’t really know what they are – and are content to pay extra for them, a survey of users’ perceptions has found. But they also expect lawyers to provide better information about their rights.

LegalForce, a US concept for delivering legal services, has today simultaneously launched in the US and UK, with plans to open a new type of legal retail store in the heart of London’s technology industry, Legal Futures can reveal.

The legal services market should return to something near pre-recession levels of growth in 2016, the Law Society has predicted. An economic study it published yesterday said the profession’s ‘real’ turnover fell marginally in 2012 and would then slowly recover for the next three years.

Co-operative Legal Services will launch a ‘Learning Academy’ later this year that will offer all staff training for a range of skills and qualifications, including becoming solicitors and chartered legal executives.

Vamco has become the first accident management company to buy a law firm after being awarded an alternative business structure (ABS) licence. The Surrey-based business has acquired Kingsley Law, previously part of the Nesbit Law Group.

National law firm Simpson Millar is eyeing up the acquisition of non-legal businesses as part of its expansion plans now it has secured an alternative business structure (ABS) licence, it has revealed.

Commercial law firm Bristows has been granted an alternative business structure (ABS) licence, becoming the largest City practice so far to have taken the plunge. The 34-partner, 74 fee-earner firm is best known for its intellectual property work,

Virtual law firm Excello Law has become the second legal practice to join forces with ex-Dragon’s Den star James Caan as part of its bid to become the leading supplier of legal services to the SME sector. The firm has joined Knights Solicitors in Mr Caan’s Hamilton Bradshaw portfolio of companies.

National law firm Simpson Millar has joined forces with legal expenses insurer DAS to bring insurance-backed pre-paid legal plans to the UK, offering cover for a wide range of contentious and non-contentious work – including conveyancing and personal injury.