PI firms “set to close” if reforms go through, finds survey, as defendant poll points to growing travel claims fraud
More than half of claimant personal injury (PI) law firms will be forced to shut down or look for other work if the government’s proposed reforms go through, a survey has found – and Lord Justice Jackson’s separate review of fixed recoverable costs could then put the rest out of business.
MoJ plan to impose fixed-term contracts on judges “could be unlawful”
Plans by the Ministry of Justice to impose fixed-term contracts on fee- paid judges could be unlawful, the Bar Council has warned. The move has also been strongly attacked by the Law Society, which said solicitors could in future see judicial appointment as a gamble with their careers at their firms.
It’s not just the small claims limit – solicitors warn over “dangerous” reform of rehabilitation
Hudgells Solicitors has opened up a new front in the battle over the government’s proposed PI reforms by saying that there is a far better and easier way to reform rehabilitation provision that does not involve “the unexpected and dangerous reforms hidden away at the back of its recent consultation”.
City lobby group on Brexit: Lawyers need access to single market plus “clear and sensible” transition
The UK government must secure a high level of access to the single market, with a “clear and sensible transition period” to minimise the damage to legal services, TheCityUK has warned. Without it, the pressure group said, there would be a “high risk [of] considerable losses in financial and reputational terms to the legal services sector over the long term”.
Consultant solicitor fined £2,000 after not putting £100 cash payment through firm
A solicitor who did not honour the terms of his consultancy agreement with a law firm and sought £140 in fees directly from clients through his unregulated business has been fined £2,000 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority – nearly 15 times the money at stake.
‘Dispersed’ law firm scoops external capital from top SME investor
National law firm Setfords Solicitors has become the latest to take external investment after securing a £3.75m injection from the Business Growth Fund (BGF) to support its expansion plans. It has taken a minority stake, the second time it has done so with a law firm after putting £5m into McMillan Williams in early 2015.
CMA eyes ‘transparency mark’ for lawyers who are open about prices amid overcharging fears
Lawyers who meet new standards of transparency over the price and service standards they offer could display a logo to show the public that they meet best practice, the Competition and Markets Authority has suggested. The detail of its 518-page report showed significant concerns that the lack of transparency was leading to some consumers being overcharged.
Demand for free legal advice spiralling upwards, charity reports
There is fast-growing growing demand for free legal advice, with family law now the most requested area of law, according to the experience of LawWorks, the solicitors’ national pro bono charity. Its clincis responded to over 53,000 enquiries, a 24% increase on the previous year.
Solicitor groups join forces to press for cold-calling ban instead of PI reforms
The Law Society, Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and Motor Accident Solicitors Society last week put a ban on cold calling at the forefront of their joint campaign to ward off the personal injury reforms. They said the government should focus on ending the activities of cold callers “who seek to profit from bogus or exaggerated claims”, rather than introduce the reforms,
CMA responses: Law Society and SRA at odds, but McKenzie Friends are happy
The Competition and Market Authority’s report on legal services yesterday provoked a predictably mixed response that pitted the Law Society against the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and found support from the body representing paid McKenzie Friends. Meanwhile, the Council for Licensed Conveyancers called on the Legal Services Board to use its powers to force regulatory independence to happen.
