Online pay-as-you-go legal advice service bids to crowd-source £1.5m funding
An attempt to ‘crowd fund’ £1.5m for the launch of what is claimed to be the world’s first live online pay-as-you-go legal advice service will begin this week. Quegal will charge users 60p a minute to receive advice from junior solicitors and paralegals.
High Court rejects appeal of solicitor struck off in his absence
A solicitor who was struck off in his absence has had his challenge to the decision thrown out by the High Court. Mr Justice Foskett warned that those who fail to attend Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal hearings do so at their own peril.
Repeat clients are main source of solicitors’ work, says major survey
The importance of law firms marketing to their existing client base has come through strongly from major new Law Society research that shows repeat clients are by far solicitors’ biggest source of work.
Council fined £120,000 after solicitor’s wayward e-mails breach data protection law
Stoke-on-Trent City Council has been fined £120,000 after an in-house solicitor sent highly sensitive information about a child protection case to the wrong e-mail address, rather than the barrister for whom it was intended.
Litigation funder eyes ABS as way to finance law firms’ contingency fee work
A litigation funder with £40m a year to invest is considering using alternative business structures to make funds available to law firms, according to its chief executive. They have to be prepared to work under damages-based agreements (contingency fees), however.
Be bold and ignore the vested interests, LETR told
There is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to produce a “bold blueprint” for change in legal education and training, but “vested interests” are striving to water it down, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has cautioned.
Online presence is main source of lead generation for commercial firms, says survey
Three-quarters of business law firms say that an online presence has been their single most effective tactic to generate new leads in the past year. The poll of 209 business-to-business law firms around the world found they are increasingly investing in their online activity.
ABS licence for top building society and estate agency
A volume conveyancing business owned by Britain’s fourth largest building society is targeting a move into other areas of legal services after receiving its alternative business structure (ABS) licence.
Legal Services Board head gives Bar Council public dressing-down
The chairman of the Legal Services Board has strongly criticised the Bar Council for its approach to dealing with the board, characterising its reaction to the Legal Services Act reforms as “walking backwards slowly”.
SRA lays out plan to implement referral fee ban
It will be for personal injury solicitors to convince the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) that they are not paying referral fees once the ban comes into force, it emerged today as the SRA published its long-awaited consultation on how it will implement the ban.
