Solicitor “didn’t know what to do” with money from third party
A solicitor whose firm received over £530,000 into its client account from an unknown third party, “sat on it” because “we just didn’t know” what to do, a tribunal has heard.
Apprenticeships “not working for the disadvantaged”
Workers from disadvantaged backgrounds are being left behind by the apprenticeship system, including in the law, with numbers slumping by more than a third since the apprenticeship levy was introduced.
Justice fund hands out £2m in grants in just six weeks
The Community Justice Fund – which only went live six weeks ago – has already awarded nearly £2m in grants to the legal advice sector to help it cope with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Litigation financier takes groundbreaking law firm stake
Litigation financier Burford Capital has lived up to its self-description as “the legal profession’s investment bank” by taking a minority stake in a London law firm in return for providing finance.
Solicitor who used client money to buy jewellery is struck off
A director of a former London law firm who admitted fabricating grants of probate and using client money to buy jewellery has been struck off.
Call for Inns to act as pupillage shortage worsens
The Inns of Court should build a “large co-working space”, possibly on one of their “grand gardens”, to increase the number of pupillages at a time when record numbers are looking for them.
Work still at 50% of pre-Covid levels, says NAHL
NAHL plc has seen a modest recovery since lockdown restrictions eased but personal injury and conveyancing work is still at 50% of pre-Covid levels.
DoNotPay targets UK expansion after $12m investment
The ground-breaking DoNotPay chatbot – which describes itself as the world’s first robot lawyer – is to ramp up its UK offering after securing $12m (£9.6m) in backing from Silicon Valley.
Solicitor fined after conviction for abusive Facebook messages
A junior solicitor diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome who was convicted after sending a woman he briefly dated abusive Facebook messages has now been fined £10,000 by a disciplinary tribunal.
Conveyancing “roaring back”, says fast-growing ABS
A rapidly expanding alternative business structure which combines conveyancing and mortgage advice is expecting a record month as the property market roars back.
