SRA eyes expanded international reach by offering to regulate foreign firms
Foreign law firms could choose to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under proposals put forward yesterday. An SRA green paper also suggests introducing a single “passport to practice” for firms with multiple overseas offices.
Banning referral fees and then cutting RTA portal costs will have “devastating” impact
It is full steam ahead at the Ministry of Justice with the Jackson reforms, but do the figures add up? If they do, what do they add up to? Amanda Ashton of Compass Costs crunches the figures on the impact a reduction in RTA portal fees will have in the event referral fees are banned
Pro bono panel calls for more public legal education and says ABSs may help
It is essential for law firms to offer better public legal education – including getting into schools, according to the Master of the Rolls – while alternative business structures could help pro bono provision, it was claimed at the launch of National Pro Bono Week on Monday.
Banning referral fees will achieve nothing, warns government adviser
Banning referral fees will have “no effect on legal costs” and instead make something that is “currently reasonably transparent into something totally opaque”, the architect of the claims management regime has warned MPs.
Will-writer regulation and the need to address poor-quality work by solicitors
In a robust defence of the will-writing industry, Steve Jenkins of leading provider Trust Inheritance argues that while some targeted regulation of the sector could help, there needs to be a strong focus on improving the quality of solicitors’ work.
Defendant loses bid to throw claimants’ solicitors off case over privilege “breach”
A defendant in a high-profile group action has failed in his bid to have the claimants’ solicitors thrown off the case for having sight of privileged documents. Bjorn Stiedl is one of the defendants in the multi-million-pound InnovatorOne case.
It's final – LeO decides to name and shame lawyers over complaints
From April 2012 the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) will “name and shame” law firms or lawyers against whom a “pattern of complaints” has been made, or whenever naming is judged to be in the public interest, it announced today.
Legal Services Board to intervene in Prudential privilege appeal
The Legal Services Board is to intervene in the high-profile Supreme Court case on whether the right to claim legal professional privilege should extend beyond the clients of solicitors and barristers. The Prudential case concerns tax law advice from accountants.
Bar Council chief urges barristers to embrace direct instructions from the public
Barristers need to grasp the opportunities offered by direct access for the public, which will also help them bid for legal aid contracts, the chairman of the Bar Council has urged. Peter Lodder QC said the “critical importance” of public access is underlined by the proposed legal aid cuts.
Cost of SRA compliance “forcing small firms to close”, says Law Society survey
More than one in ten small law firms questioned in a massive survey of solicitors plan to close down or merge as a result of the cost of complying with regulatory obligations, Law Society research has revealed.
