Lawyers grumble about PC fees without knowing what they’re paying for, survey reveals
Many lawyers, particularly solicitors and barristers, complain about their practising certificate (PC) fees, but there are high levels of ignorance about what they are paying for, a major cost of regulation survey has found.
Facing a Bar disciplinary tribunal? The odds are increasing that you’ll be disbarred
A third of Bar disciplinary tribunals last year led to disbarment, nearly twice the proportion of 2013, the Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service’s (BTAS) annual report has shown.
QC status “should be extended” beyond barristers and solicitors
QC status should be available to all advocates appearing in the higher courts, whether or not they are barristers or solicitors, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has said. It also reiterated its call for re-accreditation and ongoing competence checks for those with the mark.
Fairpoint “has platform” for further law firm acquisitions
Fairpoint Group plc – which last year bought two law firms – said today that its financial success in 2014 has laid the foundations for further acquisitions. The AIM-listed business hitherto focused on ‘debt solutions’.
Law school ABS aims to provide paid-for advice to young entrepreneurs
Nottingham Law School, the first in the country to apply for an alternative business structure (ABS) licence, aims to offer young entrepreneurs a paid-for business advice service, it has emerged.
Law firms “getting even worse” at handling telephone enquiries, says mystery shopper
The way law firms handle telephone enquiries from prospective clients is so bad that “it’s as if every managing partner in the land met up at a secret location and agreed the worst way possible to deal with them”, a leading consultant has claimed.
Slater & Gordon “closing in” on £900m Quindell deal
Quindell confirmed today that it is considering a deal with Slater & Gordon that would see the listed Australian firm buy its legal division for £640m plus receipts from the settlement of noise-induced hearing loss cases.
SME law firms’ strong performance creates investment pressure
Small to medium-sized UK law firms are enjoying a sustained period of economic recovery, but face new challenges arising from renewed growth, according to a major study examining a wide range of performance indicators.
Bitcoin specialist ABS rides litigation wave from volatile digital currency
A partner at a small West London firm has taken ‘niche’ to a new level by specialising in litigation resulting from the first few turbulent years of digital currency bitcoin.
Large conveyancing firms grab market share as firm numbers fall
The biggest conveyancing firms have benefited the most from the recession, while the number of practices involved in conveyancing has continued to fall, a survey has revealed.
