Black lawyers reignite SRA race discrimination row
Around 15 claims of race discrimination against the Solicitors Regulation Authority will be launched shortly, arguing that it treats black and minority ethnic solicitors less favourably than white counterparts, the Society of Black Lawyers has claimed.
Common training and even regulation of solicitors and barristers on the cards, says Law Society chief
The time is coming when the distinction between solicitors and barristers will be “more a matter of tribal culture than function”, the Law Society president has predicted, with common education, training and even potentially regulation on the agenda.
Micro-managing LSB "risks independence of profession"
The Legal Services Board’s “unduly detailed approach to oversight” risks undermining professional independence, the Law Society president has claimed. John Wotton also argued that alternative business structures have “no magic bullet in competitive terms”.
AIM-listed company to buy Liverpool law firm in ABS first
Liverpool law firm Silverbeck Rymer is set to become the first legal practice acquired by a listed company, it was announced this morning. AIM-listed Quindell Portfolio plc is to spend £19.3m on the leading personal injury firm.
LSB issues Bar Standards Board with warning notice over cab-rank rule changes
The long-running saga over standard contractual terms between barristers and solicitors has hit another hurdle after the Legal Services Board issued a statutory warning notice that it is considering whether to reject changes to the cab-rank rule that would underpin them.
Re-shaping your firm – and how to pay for it
Chris Marston, head of professional practices at Lloyds TSB Commercial, takes a look at how solicitors’ firms can compete against external capital.
Brighton firm to license name and back-office support to "entrepreneurial" solicitors
An award-winning Brighton business law firm is to license out its brand and back-office support to solicitors who want to set up their own practices. The aim is to have at least 10 Acumen Business Law licensees in the south-east at the end of the first year.
Jackson: should contingency fee lawyers be liable for defendant’s costs?
Work is needed to determine whether solicitors who offer contingency fees could find themselves on the hook for a successful defendant’s costs, Lord Justice Jackson said last week. He said a working party might be needed to resolve outstanding issues.
Sharp rise in number of distressed law firms, with ABSs "set to make things worse"
There has been a big rise in the number of law firms in distress, with the advent of alternative business structures (ABSs) set to make things worse, corporate recovery specialists Begbies Traynor have claimed.
Exclusive: Birmingham and Westminster councils to offer legal advice via webcam in libraries
Birmingham and Westminster city councils are teaming up with legal video conferencing business Instant Law to provide library users with free access to online advice, Legal Futures can reveal.
