Criminal Bar “ready to strike” over fees
The criminal Bar is ready to strike in protest at the level of fees paid to both prosecution and defence advocates, a survey by the Criminal Bar Association has revealed. Some 89% are prepared to take “direct lawful action”, such as a refusal to attend court.
In-house lawyers to face tricky ABS decision
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to push ahead with changes to the SRA Handbook that will leave it to in-house lawyers to decide whether the law requires that their legal teams become alternative business structures.
Keep on trucking – Eddie Stobart enters legal services market (yes, really)
Logistics business the Stobart Group – home of the famous Eddie Stobart truck fleet – has today launched a new service to link members of the public and businesses direct to a barrister without needing to employ a solicitor.
Senior Costs Judge disallows budget overrun in landmark costs management ruling
A social worker involved in the Baby P case faces a £300,000 shortfall in the costs she can recover over a successful libel claim against The Sun because there was no good reason to depart from the court-approved costs budget, the Senior Costs Judge has ruled.
SRA scraps minimum salary for trainees
The minimum salary for trainee solicitors will be scrapped on 1 August 2014, the board of the SRA decided yesterday, saying it is not the job of a regulator to control wages. Firms will be required to pay the national minimum wage of £6.08 an hour.
Row erupts over call to clamp down on claims managers handling PPI work
The British Bankers Association, consumer group Which? and Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert.com have called on the government to take urgent action to clamp down on the activities of claims management companies bringing payment protection insurance mis-selling cases.
SRA set to delay COLP and COFA regime to 2013
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is set to delay the compliance officer regime, it has emerged. The scheme for compliance officers for legal practice (COLPs) and for finance and administration (COFAs) was due to go live on 1 November.
HSBC caves in over conveyancing panel
HSBC has today caved into pressure from the Law Society and estate agents, and agreed that the 1,400 law firms operating under the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme mark can act for the bank – and they will not have to work under its fixed-fee regime either.
Most profitable practices generate three times the income per partner of the least profitable, says survey
The most profitable small and medium-sized legal practices generate almost £1m in fee income per equity partner, nearly three times that of the least profitable, new research has revealed. It also highlighted the significant impact that gearing has on profitability.
Direct public access – a chance for barristers and solicitors to work together, not against each other
With more and more barristers capable of serving the public directly, it may seem like public access is only going to lead to greater competition with solicitors. But, argues senior clerk Scott Baldwin, there is actually a business opportunity here that could benefit both sides.
