Legal Services Act

It is essential for law firms to offer better public legal education – including getting into schools, according to the Master of the Rolls – while alternative business structures could help pro bono provision, it was claimed at the launch of National Pro Bono Week on Monday.

In a robust defence of the will-writing industry, Steve Jenkins of leading provider Trust Inheritance argues that while some targeted regulation of the sector could help, there needs to be a strong focus on improving the quality of solicitors’ work.

From April 2012 the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) will “name and shame” law firms or lawyers against whom a “pattern of complaints” has been made, or whenever naming is judged to be in the public interest, it announced today.

The Legal Services Board is to intervene in the high-profile Supreme Court case on whether the right to claim legal professional privilege should extend beyond the clients of solicitors and barristers. The Prudential case concerns tax law advice from accountants.

The professional standards of costs lawyers will in future be independently assured after the Costs Lawyer Standards Board this week became their approved regulator. They can become partners in LDPs and are within the Legal Ombudsman’s jurisdiction.

Co-operative Legal Services has issued a major signal of intent by recruiting two leading solicitors to launch a family law service next year: Jenny Beck and Christina Blacklaws of TV Edwards, who both hold significant roles in the profession.

Claims management companies looking to create legal arms as ABSs could fall foul of Solicitors Regulation Authority rules, a former SRA director has warned, while a leading insurance lawyer cautions over a loophole in the referral fee ban.

A large majority of partners at mid-sized law firms believe their practices need to grow by at least a third over the next three to five years to remain competitive, with many open to the idea of external investment, a recent survey has shown.

Top City law firm DLA Piper has invested in a prospective alternative business structure (ABS) that promises to introduce a “market-disrupting” new approach to providing businesses with legal advice, Legal Futures can reveal.

Clients will in future gravitate to trusted brands but independent lawyers can continue to play a major role in providing legal services if they take the necessary steps, leading figures from five law firm networks have predicted.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is in “serious discussions” with just 15 potential alternative business structures (ABSs), it has emerged. According to the SRA, six different types of organisation have so far shown official interest in becoming ABSs.

Investors can be good for many businesses but not when that business is a law firm, a leading in-house lawyer has warned, expressing particular concern that clients’ interests “may take a backseat to the lawyers’ search for additional capital”.

Solicitors should not rely on clients who express a desire for local, personal services, Professor Stephen Mayson has warned. He also said the “insulting” distinction in law firms between fee-earners and support staff is holding them back.

Lawyers who sign up as suppliers to US online legal documents business Rocket Lawyer – which is coming to the UK next year – will be expected to do a significant amount of work for nothing, founder Charley Moore has revealed.

Creativity and collaboration should be the priority for law firms looking to fend off the threats from a liberated legal market, with joint ventures, referral networks and share offerings all possible solutions, last week’s Legal Futures conference was told.