SRA: Firms can prolong extended PII cover with agreement
Law firms unable to secure professional indemnity insurance because of Covid-19 can prolong the extended indemnity period by agreement and with regulatory approval.
Law firm facilitated £8m “cheque-clearing scheme”
An experienced solicitor who allowed her firm’s client account to be used as a banking facility in a £8m “cheque-clearing scheme” has been struck off.
Murder trial resumes with counsel and jury swapping seats
A jury trial resumed at the Old Bailey yesterday, with barristers in the jury and press boxes, and jurors socially distancing in counsel’s rows after being told there were no face masks for them.
£5m fund to support social welfare advice goes live
A fund worth more than £5m to sustain UK social justice advisers through the Covid-19 pandemic – and as a “catalyst for wider renewal” – has gone live today.
Kennedys to launch SQE apprenticeship
City law firm Kennedys is to launch a 30-month ‘graduate solicitor apprenticeship’ when the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) comes into effect in autumn 2021.
Court of Appeal upholds law firm’s Chinese wall
A law firm acting for different defendants against the same claimant does not owe that claimant a true fiduciary duty, and so it does not have to prove its Chinese Wall works, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
Solicitor cleared over alleged confidentiality breach
A solicitor accused of disclosing to a client confidential information about a former client has been cleared of wrongdoing by a disciplinary tribunal.
Junior lawyers “lose confidence” in SRA after Matthews case
Junior lawyers have lost confidence in the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s approach to dealing with inexperienced solicitors who have mental health issues or worked in toxic environments.
Law firms under lockdown: “A train that is running out of puff”
Reduced billing by law firms in April was covered by a parallel fall in costs and arrival of government money, but the lack of new work is going to hurt them badly, according to new research.
Top firms “failing to communicate” own responses to Covid-19
The country’s largest law firms are providing clients with plenty of advice on the legal implications of the Covid-19 crisis but doing little to explain their own response, research has found.
