Legal Services Act

In the latest instalment of our Legal Pioneers series, Neil Rose talks to Suzanne Dibble, the company/commercial lawyer and mother who last month won an award for her unique legal offering to the growing band of mumpreneurs.

Non-lawyer investors in alternative business structures will have to disclose any previous convictions, even if spent, to pass the ‘fit and proper owner’ test, Legal Futures can reveal. It was the last major hurdle to the full adoption of ABSs.

The Legal Ombudsman is to float the idea of extending its jurisdiction so as to handle complaints against will-writers, in a bid to ease the problems faced by consumers who think they are regulated, Legal Futures can report.

Legal Futures can reveal that Premier Property Lawyers – one of the largest conveyancing businesses in the country – has today become the first ever alternative business structure as the new regime finally gets underway.

A ‘virtual’ law firm has today become the first UK solicitors’ practice to announce its intention to seek a stock market admission so as to fund growth and attract more solicitors to the business. Everyman Legal will become an alternative business structure when it can.

Online conveyancing business In-deed has seen “encouraging” signs from the introduction of telesales staff to help convert quotes into instructions for its panel law firms, it has told the Stock Exchange. The company has had to alter its plan to operate solely online.

The number of solicitor applications for a grant of probate has fallen for the fourth year running, down 30% since 2006, although the drop slowed last year, indicating perhaps that greater competition in the probate market is making itself felt.

Around 50 law firms in the north-west have signed up to a new scheme from Manchester practice JMW aimed at lawyer-to-lawyer referrals. Lawshare offers firms in the network a 7-10% profit share for every case referred to JMW.

QualitySolicitors has agreed an exclusive partnership with leading finance comparison website MoneySupermarket.com, while the network is to be promoted in the Bounty Packs given to all new mothers, Legal Futures can reveal.

Solicitors and barristers are being targeted to join a new comparison website that claims to be the “new generation” of legal referral businesses by requiring participating law firms and barristers to offer fixed-fee services. CompareLegalCosts.com has also moved away from the referral fee model.

The latest instalment of our Legal Pioneers series looks at the Whale Rock Professional Services Group, which has legal, accountancy and company secretarial arms. Clients already enjoy the benefits of the one-stop shop, writes Dan Bindman, but becoming an MDP will help considerably.

The Bar Council is once again not compliant with the rules on ensuring the independence of its regulatory arm, the Legal Services Board has decided – while the Law Society’s compliance remains unresolved. But the Bar Council has been given one more year to get its house in order.

QualitySolicitors is generating nearly 100,000 leads per month for its member firms, pioneering research into find-a-solicitor type services has revealed, while around a fifth of such businesses have disappeared since 2010.

A “transfer market” of law firm chief executives should emerge in the post-Legal Services Act world, Professor Stephen Mayson has predicted, especially if lenders and investors insist on appointing their own choice of management team as a condition of their financial support.

The first law firm franchise formally opens for business today under the face2face solicitors brand. The plan eventually is to have 600 franchises across England and Wales as part of a national legal brand. More are set to open by Christmas.