Banning referral fees and then cutting RTA portal costs will have “devastating” impact
It is full steam ahead at the Ministry of Justice with the Jackson reforms, but do the figures add up? If they do, what do they add up to? Amanda Ashton of Compass Costs crunches the figures on the impact a reduction in RTA portal fees will have in the event referral fees are banned
Will-writer regulation and the need to address poor-quality work by solicitors
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.
Will the separate business rule ruin CMCs’ plans to become ABSs?
I spoke at a conference organised by the Claims Standards Council earlier this year in Manchester on applying to become an alternative business structure. Inevitably the main topic of the conference was the Jackson reforms and the (then) possible threat to referral fees. The organisers thought that the impact of the reforms might lead many claims management companies to consider becoming an ABS by acquisition or merger with existing law firms or by developing an in-house legal function.
Why brand is the new “must-have” in legal services
Pearse McCabe of brand and digital agency Rufus Leonard explains how important branding will become in the post-ABS world and considers some of the key issues that traditional law firms need to look at in response.
The hybrid LLP – a new business model for the law firm partnership?
With the days of full distribution of profits to partners coming to an end, Mark Waddilove, a tax director at accountants Baker Tilly, and Jonathan Cheney, a managing associate at national law firm Addleshaw Goddard, explain how a corporate member of an LLP can mitigate the tax charges on retained profits
