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.
LSB eyes major changes to legal regulation
The Legal Services Board is set to conduct a major review on the extent to which it can reform the regulatory regime – including the reserved legal activities – using its existing powers.
Most Scottish solicitors report mental health problems
Most solicitors and their staff north of the border have experienced mental health problems, a major survey by the Law Society of Scotland and mental health charity See Me has found.
SRA to press ahead with launch of SQE in autumn 2021
The Covid-19 crisis will not stop the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam in September 2021, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has said as it published the exam’s final design.
Publishing data could counter “gender brief gap”
Solicitors and barristers should publish data on which advocates are instructed in certain criminal cases as a way to counter the “gender brief gap”, a QC has suggested.
Barrister sanctioned for shouting and pulling faces at judge
A senior junior barrister has been reprimanded and fined £1,000 for her “rude and unprofessional” behaviour in court, including shouting and pulling faces at a judge.
Legal Ombudsman set for major leadership shake-up
The Legal Ombudsman is set for a major leadership shake-up in the wake of its recent budget debacle and following the decision of the chief ombudsman to leave.
Judge: Investor who lost pension was not law firm’s client
A man who lost his pension after investing in self-storage pods with disastrous results was not the client of the law firm who advised on it, a judge has held.
New contracts firm puts paralegals in pole position
Two young paralegals have launched an unregulated legal contracts business which provides fixed-price services for mainly online businesses in the UK, the USA and Europe.
