Family specialist calls on lawyer mediators to unite in fight against new competition
A family law practitioner from Wakefield is calling on solicitors, barristers and chartered legal executives to unite to promote to the public the benefits of lawyer mediators over non-lawyer competitors.
10+ partner firms eye merger, leaving smaller practices home alone
There is a much higher chance of merger among mid-sized law firms than small practices in the coming year but the well of good merger partners is far from bottomless, new research has found. The survey found that most had thought about merger in recent months.
Who owns your departing fee-earner’s LinkedIn contacts? New guidance warns firms to plan ahead
Law firms’ social media policies need to extend to issues such as who owns contacts and content developed by staff members through the use of networks like LinkedIn, while they should also be cautious about searching the social media activity of potential recruits, new guidance has advised.
Barristers far happier than public with how BSB handles misconduct complaints, survey finds
Only a third of members of the public who complain to the Bar Standards Board about barristers’ professional conduct believe the process is open and fair, according to a user satisfaction survey.
SRA grants waivers to three ABSs and warns applicants over timetable for approval
Three of the seven ABSs so far approved by the Solicitors Regulation Authority have been granted waivers as part of their applications, it has emerged. It also warned applicants who may have tight timescales for approval that it will not guarantee to meet them.
SRA mulls dropping requirement on solicitors to refer clients to IFAs
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is set to recommend dropping the controversial ban on practitioners referring clients to tied financial advisers. Solicitors would instead have to ensure that the client is involved in the decision-making process that goes into any referral.
Law Society to be spared annual internal governance check – because it is bound to fail
The Law Society will not be required to certify its compliance with the rules on internal governance because it is bound to fail the test, the Legal Services Board has decided. The board said the new governance arrangements are “somewhat fragile”.
“More for less”, liberalisation and technology: Susskind lays out vision of the future
The Legal Services Act will play a role in transforming the legal market around the world, with English lawyers well placed to take advantage as a result, Professor Richard Susskind predicted last week. He also gave a preview of his new book – Tomorrow’s lawyers: An introduction to your future.
Freeserve founder says it will take non-lawyers to bring innovation to “hated” legal market
Lawyers are “in denial about what customers hate about law firms” and it will take entrepreneurs from outside the profession to deliver the wholesale change to the business model that is required, the founder of Freeserve claimed last week.
BSB wins argument over case for entity regulation
The Bar Standards Board narrowly defeated a motion proposed by a former Bar chairman that its plans for entity regulation are unhelpful to the justice system, in a debate held in London last week.
