Legal Services Act
Labour pledges £74m for lawyers, law centres and legal aid
The Labour Party has pledged to spend £74m to provide free legal training for 200 community lawyers, establish more law centres, and reverse all the cuts to legal aid-funded Early Legal Help.
Lower-cost legal departments spend more on alternative providers
Lower-cost in-house legal departments spend three times more on alternative legal services providers and twice as much on training, research has found.
Defendant solicitors worry about PI reforms delay
A leading insurance law firm has outlined worries that the Civil Liability Act reforms will not be implemented in April 2020 as currently planned.
ABS Carbon opens platform to own-brand start-ups
A virtual firm alternative business structure aimed at top-end solicitors approaching retirement is white labelling entities to groups of lawyers or overseas practices looking to start up under their own brand.
Third “and probably last” ABS joint venture for NAHL
NAHL plc – the company that owns National Accident Helpline – has unveiled its third, and probably last, joint venture alternative business structure as it prepares for next year’s personal injury reforms.
Exclusive: Future of BT’s ABS under scrutiny
The future of BT Law is under scrutiny as the communications giant that owns the alternative business structure moves to focus more on its core business, Legal Futures can reveal.
Listed firm diversifies with £22m corporate finance deal
City firm Rosenblatt has made its first acquisition as a listed business – and begun diversifying away from legal services – by spending up to £22m on a specialist sell-side corporate finance boutique.
Court modernisation still has long way to go, NAO warns
HM Courts and Tribunals Service has made “good progress” in transforming some services, but there are still “significant challenges” ahead for the court modernisation programme, the NAO said today.
Acquisition fall-out led to firm being sold to consolidator
An acquisition that cost more than anticipated and caused overstaffing was a primary cause of the difficulties that led to a law firm being bought by consolidator AWH Legal, it has emerged.
PI reform enthusiast joins Ministry of Justice line-up
One of the most outspoken backbench supporters of the government’s personal injury reforms has been given a role at the Ministry of Justice that includes advancing the agenda.
ABS plans more growth as it sees PI firms closing
Anexo Group, the listed credit hire and legal services business, is looking to expand beyond road traffic accidents and the North-West and said the demise of other claimant law firms was “great” news.
Solicitors ignoring importance of business skills
There is a “fundamental disconnect” among solicitors between the skills they think they need and the ones they actually need, new research has suggested.
Simpson Millar’s £6.3m loss “does not reflect growth since”
Simpson Millar made a pre-tax loss of £6.3m on a significantly reduced turnover last year – but its owner says the figures do not reflect the national law firm’s turnaround since.
Quindell counterclaim easily passed High Court permission test
The evidence supporting the counterclaim made against Slater & Gordon in its Quindell action easily passed the threshold for allowing it just weeks before the start of the trial, the High Court has ruled.
Claims Direct founder returns with Civil Liability Act offer
A new CMC offering free use of an automated system to handle post-April 2020 personal injury claims caught by the Civil Liability Act reforms has been launched by the founder of Claims Direct.
Blog
Legal director: an alternative to partnership
Firms are increasingly acknowledging the need for alternative senior roles – positions that offer influence and recognition without the obligations of ownership.
It’s time for law firms to ask tougher questions
For years, many law firms have treated ID verification as a box-ticking exercise. Run a liveness check, match a face to a document and move on. But that is no longer good enough.
Business fatigue to AI will risk job security
Whilst we know professional learning has always been part of career paths, to hire, retain and keep talent, AI needs to be embedded as a core part of this training.
