Appeal court sends £4m solicitors’ negligence claim to trial
The Court of Appeal has overturned a ruling that gave a national law firm summary judgment in a case alleging that its negligence had caused a company to lose a £4m intellectual property licensing deal with a global engineering giant.
Law Society attacks SRA’s “limited” indemnity insurance research, including failure to consider cybercrime
Research by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to support its plans to reform indemnity insurance has “clear limitations”, ignoring the recent increase in claims related to cybercrime among other failures, the Law Society has claimed as it geared up for the next round of its battle with the regulator over the reforms.
CILEx launches bid to recruit law graduate paralegals
The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) has launched a campaign to recruit paralegals – especially law graduates who have not gained further qualification – as associate members. They are entitled to use the letters ACILEx after their name.
First Uber, now DX – union brings legal action over “forced self-employed” workers
DX has become the latest delivery company to face legal claims that it is taking advantage of the ‘gig economy’ by forcing workers into bogus self-employment, after the GMB union announced it was to start legal action on behalf of members working as couriers.
“Kamikaze” solicitor who took £1.2m from client account to fund gambling habit struck off
A vastly experienced solicitor who took over £1.2m from client account in just two months to fund an online gambling habit has been struck off, despite the money being paid back and his claim that personal difficulties mean he had been in a “kamikaze” state of mind and “pushed the ‘sod it’ button”.
BSB: “self-certification” the way forward for youth court barristers
Barristers in the youth courts will have to make a declaration that they have reached the standards set out by the Bar Standards Board to continue providing the service, it has emerged. But there will be no compulsory training so as to avoid discouraging counsel from doing low-paid youth court work.
Just 10% of people with legal problems turn to a solicitor, major research finds
Only 10% of people with legal problems use a solicitor, and often only after approaching other sources of advice first, major government research involving over 10,000 people has revealed. However, when they did use a solicitor or a barrister, almost all said they were satisfied with the advice provided.
A solicitor can lack integrity without being dishonest, says High Court
A lack of integrity on the part of a solicitor is “not synonymous” with dishonesty and is subject to a less stringent legal test, the High Court has ruled. Mr Justice Morris also said that it was wrong to define lack of integrity as requiring recklessness.
Solicitor fined for failing to read “grossly misleading” JR claim forms
Complaints about the work of solicitors handling immigration appeals have finally reached the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, which has fined a solicitor £10,000 for acting recklessly by signing judicial review claim forms with inaccurate grounds of appeal and failing to supervise an employee who drafted the applications.
SRA investigating law firm at centre of grooming gang immigration row
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has launched an investigation into a law firm accused by the senior immigration judge of weakening the rule of law through its “cavalier and unprofessional” approach in acting for the Rochdale grooming gang.
