Dixon on SRA independence: how are we a profession if we cannot set our own standards?
Government plans to make the Solicitors Regulation Authority totally separate from the Law Society must not be to the detriment of professional involvement in setting standards, the society’s chief executive has said.
Free2Convey to launch next month, with the focus on security
Free2Convey, which began as a free rival to failed conveyancing portal Veyo, is to formally launch to all conveyancers at the start of next month. Matt Lancaster, chair of Legal Software Suppliers Association, said the aim was to “create a trusted community”.
Fairpoint looks for new firms to buy as it achieves “double-digit growth”
Fairpoint plc, owner of national law firm Simpson Millar, has said it is ready for more acquisitions after achieving “double-digit growth” in the last calendar year. The firm also reassured investors over the impact of the government’s whiplash reforms.
Revealed: Final Veyo bill to hit £7m
The bill for the Law Society’s failed conveyancing software project Veyo is likely to be £7m, its chief executive has revealed. Catherine Dixon said she and president Jonathan Smithers pulled the plug because “the amount of time and further investment needed to get Veyo to a successful launch was too great”.
Major insurance fraud report: Increase SRA fining powers, lower tribunal burden of proof
The government should consider strengthening the fining powers of the Solicitors Regulation Authority and lowering the burden of proof in cases that reach the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal as part of the reforms needed to combat insurance fraud, a major report has recommended.
Reviewer warns of risk that public will see SRA as biased in favour of solicitors
There is a “real risk” that members of the public will view the Solicitors Regulation Authority as “simply preferring the word of solicitors”, its independent review body has concluded. The Independent Complaint Resolution Service called for a review of compensation claim fund claims.
SDT anonymity ruling “breached principle of open justice”, High Court rules
A decision by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal to grant retrospective anonymity to a solicitor who had only been found guilty of a technical rule breach flouted the principle of open justice, the High Court has ruled. The tribunal made a decision that was “wrong in principle and not one which it could rationally make”.
DIY legal site experiments with ‘robot’ lawyer
A student who set up a DIY website to help consumers challenge parking tickets, and claim compensation for delayed travel or missold PPI, has added a natural-language ‘robot lawyer’ to draft documents. It has been welcomed by the solicitor who created a ground-breaking automated website aimed at helping people charged with motoring offences.
Almost half of asylum seekers unhappy with their lawyers, report finds
Almost half of asylum seekers are not satisfied with the service provided by their lawyers, a report for the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Legal Ombudsman has found. It exposed how some firms paid interpreters to recruit asylum seeker clients at ports and detention centres.
City lawyers “privately regulated by clients”
A “tranche” of top commercial lawyers “has effectively become privately regulated by the clients they seek to serve”, a leading academic has said. Dr Steven Vaughan said some were “happy to be captured” by clients.
