Legal Services Act

The Big Four accounting firms are really starting to make their mark in the law, with 23% of large law firms in the UK and US saying they have lost work to them in the past year.

Online legal documents giant Rocket Lawyer is in talks with UK insurance companies to integrate its digital services into their platforms, Legal Futures can reveal.

Pioneering law firm Just Costs Solicitors went into administration on Friday, leading to 26 redundancies. It is effectively the firm’s second administration after the original Just Costs went down in 2017.

Listed law firm Gordon Dadds ended up raising 15% more than the minimum it hoped for from yesterday’s share placing, even though the move wiped a quarter off the company’s value.

Listed law firm Gordon Dadds Group today announced its intention to raise £10m from institutional shareholders to help fund its increasingly international acquisition strategy.

The Law Society has said it is “deeply concerned” that new rules proposed by the Legal Services Board could largely prevent it from either lobbying or criticising the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

A new operational model for handling complaints, piloted last year by the Legal Ombudsman, has boosted quality and efficiency, and helped it get “the work right first time”.

The position of the smaller legal regulators has been thrust into the spotlight, with the chair of the Legal Services Consumer Panel suggesting that one may be at risk of losing its right to regulate.

Keystone Law – the most successful listed law firm in 2018 when judged by share price – saw it soar a further 15% yesterday after a positive trading update.

The law firm which bought private equity-owned Roberts Jackson out of administration is planning several more deals to help others exit the personal injury market, Legal Futures can reveal.

City law firm FieldFisher has set up a separate practice with lower overheads to attract hedge fund clients who could not afford its fees. It is the latest “alternative solution” created by the firm.

One of America’s most prestigious law firms has agreed to pay $4.6m and register as a ‘foreign agent’ after admitting to misleading the US government over work done for Ukraine.

A new-model law firm has joined the growing band of practices that offer lawyers and staff a share ownership scheme, and has seen investments ranging from £2,500 to £120,000.

A tax consultancy has set up an alternative business structure to create a “one-stop shop” for independent contractors seeking advice, saying ABSs had made the law more entrepreneurial.

It was wrong to punish a litigant in person who used an unregulated business to serve a claim, even though this was the unlawful conduct of litigation, the Court of Appeal has ruled.