Queen grants ILEX historic Royal Charter
The Queen has granted the Institute of Legal Executives a Royal Charter, meaning that in future Fellows of ILEX will have a protected title – ‘chartered legal executive’. It will also change its name to the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives.
Solicitors cannot recover ‘cost of funding’, CA rules – but approves £10m ATE premium
Solicitors cannot recover the cost of arranging conditional fee agreements and after-the-event insurance, the Court of Appeal ruled yesterday. The Master of the Rolls Lord Neuberger also made a significant ruling on the application of proportionality.
Law firm mergers to accelerate in 2012, predicts investment bank
The legal market has “enormous scope for consolidation and this is as opportune a moment as there will be to invest” in it, a new report has claimed. Espirito Santo Investment Bank said 2012 will see the “acceleration” of merger activity.
Exclusive: ‘Simplify the Law’ enters the fray in latest bid to build national legal network
Another new franchise will start targeting law firms next week under the brand ‘Simplify the Law’, Legal Futures can reveal. Its first major milestone is to create a national network of law firms with a combined turnover of £200m.
Djanogly: paying referral fees to be a regulatory offence
The ban on referral fees will not be a criminal offence and is to be enforced by the legal profession’s regulators instead, justice minister Jonathan Djanogly announced yesterday. Work is also underway to cut the £1,200 payable to solicitors under the RTA portal.
Legal Services Consumer Panel: still no evidence to justify referral fee ban
The Legal Services Consumer Panel is standing by its recommendation to retain referral fees, saying it has seen no new evidence of consumer detriment to back a ban. Meanwhile, the Bar Council says its legal advice shows referral fees fall foul of the Bribery Act.
Clarke: there are too many would-be barristers
There are too many barristers in private practice, Lord Chancellor Ken Clarke has said. In a report on a meeting with the justice secretary, Bar Council chairman Peter Lodder QC said Mr Clarke had also claimed it was “cloud cuckoo land” for chambers to think they could continue as they used to.
LeO plans for more complaints against solicitors in wake of legal aid cuts
The Legal Ombudsman service is planning for more complaints because of concerns that the legal aid cuts will drive down standards among solicitors, its chief executive has revealed. He said: “It might be prudent to plan for more complaints about lawyers and legal services rather than less.”
SRA unveils strategy to “educate, engage with and empower” consumers
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has launched a new strategy aimed at ensuring the interests of consumers “sit at the heart of the legal services marketplace”. It is also working on a project to determine whether the legal profession is meeting the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing.
Legal Pioneers: the lawyer mum who found her perfect niche
In the latest instalment of our Legal Pioneers series, Neil Rose talks to Suzanne Dibble, the company/commercial lawyer and mother who last month won an award for her unique legal offering to the growing band of mumpreneurs.
