Mayson calls for single regulator of all legal services
All providers of legal services, whether legally qualified or not, should be registered and regulated by a single regulator, Professor Stephen Mayson’s two-year review has concluded.
Law firm mergers survive virus “shock”
Law firm mergers are still being planned, despite the coronavirus pandemic, although they may take longer to get over the line, experts have predicted.
MoJ stalls on next wave of PI reform
The Ministry of Justice continues to stall on when it will progress the next wave of personal injury reform, while defending the controversial decision to drop ADR from the new whiplash portal.
Small firms “hit hardest” by lockdown
Small law firms have been hit hardest by the lockdown, a survey of the impact of Covid-19 on the profession has found but overall firms have “largely seen only a minor impact on business levels”.
Advocacy services firm becomes ABS
An advocacy services firm which attended over 6,000 hearings last year has become an alternative business structure so it can add qualified advocates to its team of solicitors’ agents.
Absence of shielding QC “does not make in-person hearing unfair”
A QC’s inability to attend court in person because she is shielding, unlike the other counsel in a case, will not make the hearing unfair, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
SRA to beef up AML monitoring of law firms
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to beef up its monitoring of firms’ anti-money laundering efforts and begin a review of continuing competence, its draft 2020/21 business plan has revealed.
McFarlane clears way for more remote family hearings
The president of the Family Division has cleared the way for more remote hearings, including those where parents and children appear as witnesses, by revising the guidance for judges.
Law Society maintains £134m budget for next year
The cost of practising as a solicitor is set to fall marginally as a result of lower compensation fund contributions, while the Law Society’s £134m budget for 2020-21 remains virtually static.
New instructions “returning to pre-lockdown levels”
New instructions have been running at about 70% of the pre-lockdown level over the past two and a half months, but there are definite signs of a revival, with conveyancing roaring back, data shows.
