Hundreds of millions of pounds pour into third-party litigation funding
Hundreds of millions of pounds are to be poured into backing litigation after both Vannin Capital and Harbour Litigation Funding unveiled significant funding boosts, the highest profile of a series of developments in the third-party funding market.
Ombudsman hints at giving users of online legal services access to redress
Consumers using online legal services should have access to proper redress, the Legal Ombudsman has suggested. Adam Sampson said he was not convinced there is a difference between a legal product and a legal service.
Solicitors halt slide in probate work and "should now target DIY applicants"
The number of solicitor applications for a grant of probate has steadied after four years of decline and the profession should now target helping those who do it themselves, it was claimed yesterday.
Riverview unveils “groundbreaking” fixed-fee divorce service for wealthy couples
Riverview Law has today launched a barrister-led service for high net-worth couples that it claims is the first to publish and guarantee the cost of divorce. The initial conference costs from £1,000 for a junior and £2,000 for a QC.
SRA acts over identity fraud after series of bogus law firms
A rash of bogus law firms in recent months has persuaded the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to publish guidance for solicitors on guarding against identity theft. It has issued six warnings about bogus firms or branch offices of legitimate firms in the past six months.
Profession “losing ground” over improving social mobility, warns LETR
Work on increasing social mobility in the legal profession is losing ground amid concerns over the effectiveness of the many separate initiatives aimed at increasing diversity, the latest paper from the Legal Education and Training Review (LETR) has suggested.
Eight PI brands dominate web searches as market fails to make best of social media, says report
Just eight personal injury brands dominate the web searches of potential clients, with national law firm Irwin Mitchell leading the way, new research has found. The report also found social media strategies “massively under-developed within the legal services sector”.
MoJ holds line on extending RTA portal next April despite warnings that it cannot be done
The government is determined to introduce the expanded RTA claims portal in April 2013, the Ministry of Justice has stressed, despite the company behind the system saying it cannot be done in that time.
Regulators and professional bodies strike MDP deal
Twelve regulators and professional bodies from the legal, accountancy, financial and property sectors have finally signed a formal agreement aimed at co-ordinating the oversight of multi-disciplinary practices.
COLP/COFA readiness – take part in a benchmarking survey
Legal Futures is the media partner for the most comprehensive independent survey to date to establish the state of readiness of the legal services sector to respond to the impact of the full compliance obligations in the SRA Handbook. It is being undertaken by Edge International and Khiara Law LLP.
