Government lays out cautious approach to extending fixed-fee system across personal injury
The government is to take an unexpectedly cautious approach to extending the road traffic accident portal regime and has ditched the idea of mandatory pre-action directions, it announced today.
APIL to float last-ditch Jackson compromise
The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers will next week launch a final attempt to challenge the Jackson reforms by setting out a new negotiating position that drops outright opposition to the changes. However, defendant lawyers rebuffed any suggestion of compromise.
News round-up: SRA caution over HSBC undertaking, slowdown in law firm closures, and much more
Our latest news round-up cover the SRA’s view of HSBC’s conveyancing undertaking, a fall in the number of firms closing ahead of PII renewal, a warning over merger failures, the Co-op seeking legal apprentices, and key appointments at Irwin Mitchell, the Law Society and CIPA.
Government to unveil county court shake-up with doubling of small claims limit
The government is expected to announce on Thursday that the small claims limit will be doubled to £10,000, although the limit for personal injury cases will remain at £1,000, Legal Futures has learned. Extension of the RTA portal should also be part of the package.
Private equity keen on investing in the law, say both new Parabis owner and Irwin Mitchell
Private equity firms are showing “considerable interest” in volume legal practices, the man behind Duke Street’s acquisition of the Parabis Group has said. The head of strategic projects at Irwin Mitchell claimed that most PE firms are considering investing in the law.
Government warned over Jackson delay
The delay in implementing the Jackson reforms should not be used as an opportunity to let opponents water them down, the government has been warned by a coalition of lawyers, insurers and corporates.
Law firms “ignoring leads” that come through comparison websites, major report finds
Law firms are overwhelmingly failing to follow up referrals for basic legal work from comparison websites, in what is described today as a “massive own goal by the profession”. In a mystery shopping exercise, eight out of ten online referral requests for a simple will were ignored.
Townsend: SRA surprised by high level of ABS applications
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has so far received more alternative business structure applications than it expected, chief executive Antony Townsend admitted yesterday. He also suggested that there will in time be growing momentum towards consolidating the eight current legal regulators into one.
Private equity enters the law as Wagamama owner buys Parabis Group
Duke Street has become the first private equity company to buy a legal practice after acquiring “a significant stake” in the Parabis Group, whose law firm Cogent Law sits behind both the AA and Saga’s legal services websites. It plans to turn Parabis into a business process outsourcer.
Undercover police officer scandal "highlights need for greater protection of legal privilege"
The government last week rejected a Bar Council-inspired bid to protect lawyer-client conversations from covert police surveillance where legal professional privilege is not being abused in furtherance of a criminal purpose. However, the Bar Council has vowed to press on with its campaign.
