Online rule committee will be catalyst for digital justice, says Birss
The work of the new Online Procedure Rules Committee will help connect the whiplash portal and other pre-action regimes to the court system electronically, the deputy head of civil justice has said.
CAT prefers opt-in to opt-out in choosing truck cartel claimant
The Competition Appeal Tribunal yesterday chose an opt-in collective action over an opt-out to pursue a multi-billion pound claim over a cartel that controlled the cost of trucks over 14 years.
MPs warn of “politicisation” of Supreme Court
The “high number of instances” in which the Supreme Court has reversed its position on the law has created “the troubling appearance” of the politicisation of the judiciary”, MPs have warned.
Oversight regulator “very concerned” about ethics of commercial lawyers
The LSB has expressed “very significant concerns” about the professional ethics of in-house and commercial lawyers in the wake of a series of incidents which raised “difficult ethical questions”.
QC suspended over failure to disclose key evidence to defence
A very senior criminal law QC has been suspended for a year over a decision not to disclose surveillance evidence which ultimately led to a conviction being overturned on appeal.
Conveyancing boom brings hundreds of firms back into market
Conveyancers enjoyed their busiest year on record in 2021/22 – and hundreds of law firms came back into the market – with the average practice seeing a 60% rise in transactions.
Complaints about SRA rise on back of major law firm closure
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has been hit by a wave of complaints relating to its closure of law firm consolidator Kingly Solicitors in the summer of 2020.
Tribunals agree to “deterrent” sanctions for sexual and racial misconduct
The disciplinary tribunals for solicitors and barristers have agreed to impose “deterrent” sanctions for sexual and racial misconduct and other forms of discrimination, bullying or harassment.
Cost of cyber insurance becoming unaffordable for some
The explosion in cyber-attacks is pushing insurance to the limits of affordability for some, with the professional services sector the biggest target of ransomware.
“Postcode lottery” with civil cases waiting up to 15 months for CCMCs
Fast-track and multi-track civil cases are taking between five and 15 months to complete their first case and costs management conference, depending on the court, research has found.
