Breathing space for PI lawyers? General damages reform will not come in until 2017
The abolition of general damages for all low-value whiplash claims will not come into force until April 2017, it has emerged – giving the personal injury market more time to adapt than expected. Law firms have also been urged to start planning for the changes, with some likely to close as a result.
Slater & Gordon’s share price collapses in response to Autumn Statement
Slater & Gordon’s share price tumbled by more than 50% overnight as investors reeled at the potential impact of the personal injury reforms unveiled yesterday in the Autumn Statement. It fell below A$1 for the first time since the firm listed in 2007.
First “fully digital” court process set for expansion after successful pilot
A group of London local authorities, a legal software supplier and an electronic data specialist claim to have developed the first “entirely digital” process for court proceedings.
Autumn Statement: £5k small claims limit and end to general damages in whiplash
The government is set to remove the right to general damages for minor soft tissue injuries and increase the small claims limit for personal injury claims from £1,000 to £5,000, it was announced in the Autumn Statement today. The Chancellor, George Osborne, also announced that £700m would be invested to fully digitise the courts.
Average price of standard law firm will drops to £118
The average price of a standard will from a law firm has fallen from £124 to £118 over the last year, new research has indicated. The report, by IRN Research, warned that a highly competitive market had become even tougher with the arrival of accountants and chartered legal executives.
SRA withdraws solicitor’s suspension following intervention
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has taken the unusual step of restoring a solicitor’s practising certificate after discovering he was not a partner in a law firm that was the subject of an intervention.
Reprimand and fine for barrister who admitted talking to jurors after trial
A barrister who admitted that he had talked to jurors at Basildon Railway Station after a trial has been reprimanded and fined £300 by a Bar disciplinary tribunal. Mohammed Omar Faruk said the incident was unintentional.
Horwich Farrelly recruits Greenwoods personal injury lawyers from Parabis
Insurance specialist Horwich Farrelly has recruited the entire Greenwoods large and complex personal injury team, among a total of seven partners and 36 other staff, from Parabis. Meanwhile Fletchers has revealed its ambition to be a top 100 firm by 2018.
Exclusive: Royal College of Nursing prepares to follow BMA in setting up law firm
The Royal College of Nursing is planning to follow the British Medical Association in setting up a law firm, it has emerged. Like the BMA, the RCN – which represents over 400,000 nurses – has chosen Cardiff-based NewLaw as its partner.
Failure of QC appointment system to deliver diversity “should cast doubt on future of status”
Abolishing the status of QC should now be seriously considered in the light of research that shows male Oxbridge-educated junior barristers from London-based chambers are still far more likely to take silk, according to a new study by the London School of Economics and Political Science.
