News

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The High Court has condemned an “utterly hopeless” urgent application by national legal aid firm Duncan Lewis, relating to six asylum judicial reviews, which was “bound to fail”.

Lawyers are set to work alongside recruitment consultants in a platform for self-employed professionals taking shape in the West Country that aims to build an internal marketplace.

Manchester-based JMW has accepted damages of £45,000 plus costs from rival law firm Hayes Connor that admitted plagiarising a letter drafted by JMW on 242 occasions.

Almost a quarter of pupil barristers say they are experiencing “some financial hardship” during the pandemic, but a lack of networking opportunities was the main problem they identified.

The Legal Ombudsman has scaled back its planned increased budget for the coming year, but it is still set to increase by 13%, or another £5 per lawyer.

Fast-growing Leeds firm Switalskis has acquired specialist medical negligence and personal injury practice Pryers from Pure Business Group, which only bought the firm itself five years ago.

This is set to be a “big year” for legal aid, a senior Ministry of Justice official has predicted, amid warnings of the heavy strain alternative advice sources are under.

Former government minister David Heath takes over as the new chair of the Costs Lawyer Standards Board this week, arguing for greater protection of the costs lawyer profession.

Leading personal injury law firm NewLaw will charge clients up to 30% of their damages to handle small claims going through the new whiplash portal, it has revealed.

A solicitor who plundered his firm’s client account for nearly £400,000, while failing to redeem a mortgage or pay stamp duty as required, has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.