Law firm found negligent over property development agreements
A well-known Shropshire law firm was negligent in the order agreements for a property development joint venture were signed, allowing one side to pull out, the High Court has found.
Young solicitor who misled clients over LPAs is struck off
A young lawyer who changed dates on lasting powers of attorney and misled clients about when they were sent to the Office of the Public Guardian has been struck off.
Smaller law firms should “compromise profits today” to invest in tech
The only thing that makes it hard for smaller law firms to invest in legal tech is “compromising profits today for growth tomorrow”, the founder of a fast-expanding commercial law firm has said.
Tribunal clears council solicitor who amended witness statement
A council solicitor who amended a signed witness statement without express confirmation of the changes before submitting it to the High Court has been cleared of misconduct.
Wills and probate market expands despite number of firms falling
Big increases in grants of representation and powers of attorney applications have increased the growth rate of the wills and probate market to 7% but 500 firms left it too.
Government to increase medical report fees – at some point in 2025
The government has rejected the argument that increasing fees for medical reports for road traffic accidents would erode the savings from the whiplash reforms.
Little sign of slowdown in solicitor-client costs disputes
Few costs lawyers have seen a reduction in disputes between solicitors and their clients despite 2022’s Court of Appeal ruling in Belsner, their representative body has reported.
Two-year suspension for City partner who groped associate
A male ex-partner at City giant Freshfields who groped a female associate after a team Christmas party has been suspended from practice for two years.
Lawyer executors “could do more” about risk of conflicts in probate
Law firms handling probate work could do more to guard against the risks of a conflict when administering estates and also acting as the executor, the SRA has cautioned.
Solicitors over-reliant on their COLPs, says SRA
Too many solicitors only check their professional obligations when things go wrong and are over-reliant on their firm’s COLP to keep on top of regulatory issues, according to SRA research.
