Exclusive: More ombudsmen for LeO in bid to improve quality of complaints handling
The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) is to recruit more ombudsmen to triage complaints against lawyers in a major reorganisation that aims to improve the quality of its decision making, Legal Futures can reveal. Steve Green, chairman of the Office for Legal Complaints – the body that oversees LeO – admitted that “speed had got out of kilter with quality”.
First “teaching law firm” for students granted ABS licence
Nottingham Law School has created the first “teaching law firm” for students after being granted an alternative business structure licence by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. It will allow students to work in its Legal Advice Centre as a fully regulated organisation as part of their studies.
Suspension for direct access barrister who took money from client’s bank account
A barrister who withdrew £2,000 from a lay client’s bank account without permission or warning, and also failed to co-operate with both the Bar Standards Board and Legal Ombudsman over complaints against him, has been suspended for three months.
Pure Legal to begin expansion after award of ABS licence
The new legal business set up by the former head of Quindell Legal Services is poised to start its acquisition programme after being authorised as an alternative business structure (ABS) by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Appeal judges overturn Blakemores negligence claim strike-out and £635,000 costs judgment
The Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court decision striking out a negligence claim against Birmingham law firm Blakemores, now in administration, and also set aside a default judgment obtained by the firm for £635,500 in costs.
Moorhead: corporate lawyers’ approach to professional ethics could be a “serious problem”
There is evidence to suggest that some of the largest law firms are making errors on the ethical approach of their corporate lawyers, while solicitors’ code of conduct is “hopelessly silent” on the problems of commercial practice, according to a leading academic.
The Law Superstore comparison website to be launched by former Minster Law chief
The Law Superstore, a new legal services comparison website which will offer consumers lists of approved solicitors, is to be launched next spring by the former chief executive of Minister Law and Brilliant Law.
LSB: criminal advocacy reforms “should not be designed around” any particular group of lawyers
It is important that government plans to enhance the quality of criminal defence advocacy in publicly funded cases “should not be designed around one particular professional group”, the Legal Services Board has warned. The comments can be read as coded concern that some of the proposals seem weighted in favour of barristers.
Putting the cab into the cab-rank rule: BSB fines barrister over taxi firm conviction
A barrister convicted by a magistrates’ court of failing to get licenses for his taxi firm has been fined £600 by the Bar Standards Board. Ahtiq Raja was sole director of taxi firm Call a Cab Limited. Until last month, he was based at 9 King’s Bench Walk.
Three-way merger creates top-200 ABS
A three-way merger into a new alternative business structure has created a top 200 law firm, Legal Futures can reveal. The ABS, Taylor Rose TTKW, is made up of Peterborough-headquartered Taylor Rose Law, its associated costs firm Jaggards, and London firm Tucker Turner Kingsley Wood.
