Criminals’ ‘go-to’ solicitor struck off while in jail
A solicitor who was the ‘go to’ lawyer for a gang of criminals because he would not ask too many questions about where their money came has been struck off while serving seven years in jail.
MP: Criminal lawyers need immediate help to survive
Shadow justice minister Karl Turner has called for an “immediate increase” in legal aid rates if criminal law firms are to survive, along with measures to save the Bar.
City law firms sign race recruitment pledge
A group of 17 City law firms, including seven of the top 10, have signed a ‘race fairness commitment’ to improve recruitment and retention of black, Asian and minority ethnic lawyers.
Solicitor amended form of authority not knowing client was dead
A solicitor who amended a client’s form of authority when he could not contact her and then sent it to her former employer – not knowing she had died – has been struck off for dishonesty.
Covid-19 “will change law firm offices forever”
A global law firm has predicted that as many as 80% of its workforce will remain transient or permanently working from home after Covid-19, with only around a fifth being full-time office workers.
Agreement seeks to “smooth” home-buying process
A voluntary cross-industry agreement to improve the home-buying process – including earlier instructions to conveyancers – is being mooted.
AI redefining what it means to be a ‘great’ lawyer
Automation in the legal profession will most probably be “a decades-long process” but artificial intelligence (AI) is redefining what it means to be a ‘great’ lawyer.
Covid-19 will hamper ombudsman turn-around, says new chair
The coronavirus crisis will impede much-needed efforts to turn around the performance of the Legal Ombudsman, its new chair has warned in an interview with Legal Futures.
Figures reveal low level of negligence claims against barristers
The average barrister only makes one notification of a possible professional negligence claim every 20 years, figures from the Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund have revealed.
SRA creates expert panel to advise on policy
An economist, a senior in-house lawyer and the head of one of the Big Four’s alternative business structures have been named on a panel created to advise the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
