Technology will put one in five legal jobs at risk, Law Society predicts
Legal jobs are already being lost to technology, with the figure climbing to tens of thousands over the next two decades as automation and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) take hold, according to the Law Society. In the shorter term, the society also predicted that growth in the turnover of law firmswould be modest, with little or no ‘Brexit dividend’.
From rewriting clients’ wills to drunk driving – SRA wields disciplinary powers over errant lawyers
A chartered legal executive who amended clients’ wills for her own benefit and a drink-driving solicitor are among those whose misconduct has been handled internally by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in recent weeks, rather than referring them to a disciplinary tribunal.
Solicitor awarded £70,000 damages for “very serious libel”
A solicitor has been awarded £70,000 in libel damages after he was accused by a newspaper of incitement to commit perjury. Mr Justice Nicklin said it was difficult to imagine “a more serious allegation to make against the professional reputation of a solicitor”.
Time to reconsider ban on judges returning to practice, say peers
There needs to be more work to encourage solicitors to apply for judicial positions and the convention that stops judges returning to practice should be reviewed, a House of Lords report has recommended. It also called for chartered legal executives to be allowed to progress beyond the current ceiling of district judge.
Small businesses flock to low-cost legal hub for employment and debt advice
Thousands of small businesses are flocking to a purpose-built legal hub, operated by alternative business structure LHS Solicitors, to access online documents. Some 35,000 documents have been downloaded from the Federation of Small Businesses Legal Hub – provided by LHS on a white-label basis – since its launch last month.
Gordon Dadds unveils first post-flotation acquisition
Gordon Dadds has started making good on its promise to be acquisitive, with the recently listed law firm announcing the purchase of a corporate tax advisory business for up to £8m. City-based CW Energy LLP describes itself as the leading independent corporate tax consultancy to the oil and gas industry.
Economic crime chief puts solicitors in the dock over money laundering
A director of the National Crime Agency has told solicitors that the legal profession is worse than any other financial services sector in reporting money laundering suspicions. Donald Toon said solicitors were “absolutely at the front line of the detection mechanism for money laundering” but “something is not working effectively”.
Only 6% of consumers can find prices on lawyers’ websites – panel turns up heat on transparency
The Legal Services Consumer Panel today ratcheted up the pressure on regulators to impose transparency requirements on lawyers with survey findings that only 6% of consumers could find prices on their websites. The panel’s annual tracker survey described a sector “which is slow to respond to consumer need”.
BSB presses ahead with compulsory registration of youth court barristers
The Bar Standard Board has decided to introduce compulsory registration of youth court barristers, despite fierce opposition from the Bar Council. However, it shied away from demanding compulsory training, arguing that the market for youth advocacy was too “fragile” for additional regulation.
Slater & Gordon tells shareholders: Accept refinancing plan or we will go bust
The alternative to Slater & Gordon’s proposed recapitalisation is insolvency, the company has told creditors and shareholders as it seeks approval of the plan, which would see the debt of the newly separate UK arm slashed. However, shareholders would see their ownership of the company almost wiped out.
