Bar Council accuses solicitors over referral fee pressure and "abuse"
Some solicitors are putting barristers under “increasing pressure” to enter into referral fee arrangements, while others are trying to take “improper advantage” of advocates by abusing the ‘one case, one fee’ rules in criminal work, the Bar Council has complained.
Solicitors urged to join Portas drive to save the high street with the Co-op set for massive expansion
Solicitors should get involved in Mary Portas’s plans to revive the high street – especially with the looming prospect of a massive increase in the Co-op’s ability to provide face-to-face legal advice, a law firm group has said.
Legal Services Board levy set to fall as it reins in costs
The Legal Services Board is planning to reduce its levy on the legal profession by 9% next year, it announced yesterday while outlining its plans for 2012/13 and wider strategic objectives for the next three years.
Law Society targets BTE test case as competition watchdog seeks action over way legal cover is sold
The Law Society is targeting a fresh attack on before-the-event legal expenses insurers by seeking out a test case that aims to loosen their grip on policyholders’ choice of solicitor, it has emerged. The news comes as the Office of Fair Trading called for improvements in the way insurers sell the product.
Revealed: PwC called in to improve "collaborative working" between Law Society and SRA
The continuing tension between the Law Society and Solicitors Regulation Authority has been exposed by the revelation that the society brought in PwC to help improve “collaborative working” between the two – but that the SRA has rejected some of the accountants’ recommendations.
LeO fights off first judicial reviews of ombudsman decisions but five more are in the wings
The Legal Ombudsman has successfully fought off two judicial reviews against its decisions, with a further five currently going through the court process, Legal Futures can reveal. The SRA has also fought off the two JRs of its new qualified lawyer transfer scheme.
News in brief: Admiral Insurance "eyeing ABS", SRA referral fee summit, Jackson update and more
Our regular round-up includes reports that Admiral is considering becoming an ABS, the SRA starting work on the referral fee ban, Labour’s latest LASPO amendments, the Information Commissioner mulling powers to force law firm audits, and a warning over getting involved in land-banking.
Bar Council and economists call on government to support contingent legal aid fund
A contingent legal aid fund (CLAF) has merit but its viability cannot be assessed until the Jackson reforms settle down, a Bar Council-commissioned report has concluded. Consultants Europe Economics, backed by the Bar Council, called on the government to back the concept.
MoJ rejects extending referral fee ban for now but Beith predicts it will have to reconsider
The government has rejected a call by MPs to extend the proposed ban on referral fees beyond personal injury work – but a senior backbencher has predicted that it will have to return to the issue.
Narrowing pay gap with Asia "encouraging" law firms to set up domestic outsourcing operations
The narrowing gap between wages paid in the UK and in booming Asian economies mean offshore legal process outsourcing providers are facing a growing threat from law firms setting up their own onshore operations, an LPO consultancy has claimed.
