Lawyers urged to play it cool with litigants in person
Solicitors, barristers and legal executives have been told by their professional bodies to be polite and non-judgemental when dealing with litigants in person (LiPs), and take “extra care to avoid using inflammatory words or phrases”.
Solicitor jailed for role in £4.3m land-banking scam
A solicitor has been jailed for five and a half years for his role in a £4.3m land-banking scam. Dale Walker was convicted of possessing criminal property and of aiding and abetting the carrying on of a regulated activity without authorisation.
Little interest from solicitors in third-party client accounts, survey suggests
Only 5% of solicitors would be interested in transferring their client accounts to a third party, a survey of firms in the south east has suggested. The SRA is consulting on whether to allow the move.
HMRC gives solicitors a week to ‘pay up or else’
HM Revenue & Customs has given solicitors a week to pay the tax they owe on undeclared income or “face hefty penalties” of 100% on the unpaid tax and the risk of a criminal investigation.
Express Solicitors buys 450 personal injury cases in pre-pack deal
Manchester-based Express Solicitors has bought 450 personal injury cases in pre-pack deal with a Cheshire sole practice. A spokesman for Express said Ashfields was now insolvent.
External investment the key to changing profession, former Law Society president says as firm becomes ABS
External investment rather than the number of alternative business structures is the key to changing the legal profession, a former president of the Law Society has said. Meanwhile, well-known ABS Knights has changed structure to retain more of its profit.
SRA mulls centralised assessment of would-be solicitors as City firm launches ‘earn as you learn’ qualification
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has begun work on developing a “centralised assessment of competence” that potential solicitors would have to pass to qualify, it has emerged. It comes as Mayer Brown became the first City law firm to unveil a six-year ‘articled apprenticeship’ programme.
Unique ABS aims to capitalise on push by Chinese companies to invest overseas
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has licensed a unique Chinese-owned alternative business structure targeting Chinese companies looking to invest abroad. It has been set up in association with Exeter-headquartered law firm Michelmores.
Number of personal injury CMCs falls below 1,000
The number of personal injury claims management companies (CMCs) has fallen below 1,000, it has emerged, down from 2,300 at the start of 2013. Smaller CMCs have been hit hard by ban on personal injury referral fees, the cuts in portal fees and ban on inducements.
New video platform is “missing link” for direct access barristers
A new video platform has been hailed as the “missing link” in improving the ability of direct access barristers to attract more clients. Virtual chambers ShenSmith has been trialling ODRO Vision.
