MPs "worried" about confusion over regulation and quality of legal services
The vast majority of MPs are concerned that their constituents may not understand what legal services are regulated and which are not, new research has found. It also identified concern that there is insufficient redress for consumers of legal services.
SRA to issue guidance after research finds lawyers failing the deaf
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to issue best-practice guidelines to solicitors and firms it regulates about being deaf aware, after new research showed that legal services were often inaccessible to people with hearing loss.
SRA unveils its first three ABSs
Co-operative Legal Services and high street firms John Welch and Stammers, and Lawbridge Solicitors Ltd have today become the first alternative business structures licensed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
LASPO: government suffers two defeats over legal aid for children, tightens referral fee ban
The government suffered two more defeats during yesterday’s final House of Lords stage of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, and also tightened up the ban on referral fees.
Abbey Protection unveils three-pronged ABS plan for SME market
Well-known legal expenses insurer Abbey Protection is to launch a three-pronged attack on the SME market once its application to become an alternative business structure has been approved, it has revealed.
Pioneering web-based probate service goes live as two investigations into online legal advice begin
A groundbreaking online probate service has gone live, allowing people to handle straightforward cases themselves for £349. In the coming months it will also be sold to law firms as a white-label product. Meanwhile, the Law Society has begun investigating online legal services.
BSB to seek approval for introduction of aptitude test that will weed out bottom 10% of students
The Bar Standards Board is formally to seek the introduction of an aptitude test for prospective Bar professional training course students from this autumn, setting the pass rate at a level that would eliminate the weakest 10% of students.
Law Society rolls out £40,000 rebrand
The Law Society has spent around £40,000 on a rebranding exercise rolled out this month, it has confirmed. The cost – equating to 33p per practising certificate payer – includes design costs, preparation and installation of new templates, new stationery and so on.
Legal Ombudsman: let us accept complaints from prospective clients and third parties
Prospective clients and third parties will be able to make complaints about lawyers, if plans unveiled by the Legal Ombudsman today go ahead. The one-year time limit for making complaints to LeO will also be extended, as will the level of compensation it can award.
RTA portal extension cannot be done by April 2013, government told
It will be impossible to extend the RTA portal either to larger claims or to employer’s and public liability claims by the target date of April 2013, the Ministry of Justice has been told by the company that runs the portal.
