No need for new laws on smart contracts, Law Commission says
There is no need for new legislation on smart contracts because the existing laws of England and Wales can accommodate them, the Law Commission has said.
Solicitor who missed “pathway to partnership” targets loses dismissal claim
A solicitor who failed to meet billing targets under a law firm’s ‘pathway to partnership’ scheme was not unfairly dismissed despite a “bust-up” with one of the partners, a tribunal has ruled.
Reduce AML officers’ billable targets, regulator tells firms
Firms should relieve lawyers who hold their anti-money laundering compliance roles of some of their fee-earning workload and consider appointing deputies too, the SRA has said.
SRA and Law Society clash again over scrapping Solicitors Indemnity Fund
The Law Society has strongly attacked plans unveiled yesterday by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to scrap the Solicitors Indemnity Fund, which provides cover for post-run-off negligence claims.
“No link” between price and quality of legal expenses insurance
The price and quality of legal expenses insurance are not correlated, a mystery shopping exercise by the Legal Services Board has found. It sees LEI as a way to tackle unmet legal need.
Acting for both sides “may become the norm” in divorce work
A future where lawyers act for both sides of divorces as a matter of course and others exit regulation to offer a new kind of service has been sketched out by Resolution.
Compensation fund pays out £600,000 to clients of dishonest solicitor
A solicitor whose misconduct has led to the SRA Compensation Fund paying out nearly £600,000 to his former conveyancing clients has been struck off.
Leading firm vets clients for conflicts with social purpose
The law firm leading the new wave of firms balancing profit with social purpose has turned down “quite a lot” of potential clients for ethical reasons, its managing partner revealed last week.
“We’re getting there,” says Simplify as client anger rages on
The majority of conveyancers at the Simplify group are now “back up and running on core systems, and actively working on cases”, it announced yesterday.
Law firm ordered to pay £1,000 for employee’s “racist” comment
A law firm employee has been awarded damages of £1,000 after a colleague targeted him with a discriminatory comment based on his Pakistani heritage.
