SRA investigates two firms amid indemnity insurance concerns
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is investigating two law firms which it said should have closed at the end of last year, having failed to find indemnity insurance.
No evidence of regulatory risks from online divorce, research finds
There is no evidence of online divorce leading to regulatory risks, joint research by the Legal Services Board and Legal Services Consumer Panel has found. The report found high levels of satisfaction with face-to-face legal advice (79%) and online (83%).
Bankrupt barrister subject to five-year restrictions order
A barrister from Essex has been given a five-year bankruptcy restrictions order for neglecting his business affairs. Such an order is made on application to the court if the Official Receiver considers that the conduct of a bankrupt has been blameworthy in some other way.
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.
