High Court orders solicitors to disclose whether they funded clients’ cases
The High Court has ordered a law firm to disclose the details of its funding arrangements with two clients so the successful defendants can work out whether the solicitors financially supported the cases and could be pursued for a third-party costs order.
Acorn Law to launch into PI market with pledge not to pay or charge referral fees
The first law firm launched in direct response to the government’s decision to ban referral fees in personal injury cases is set to go live. Acorn Law is pledging not to pay referral fees or charge them to other suppliers.
BSB presses on with Bar student aptitude test after positive pilot results
An aptitude test that indicates whether Bar students will pass their exams is “the best single predictor of course outcomes”, a pilot study has concluded. The Bar Standards Board is pressing ahead with plans to introduce the test formally in autumn 2012.
Investec becomes first UK bank to enter litigation funding market
Investec has become the first UK bank to offer litigation funding to clients, with more than £5m already invested in cases following pilot transactions. It said it had acted in response to “increasing demand” from law firms and their clients.
SRA on track after ABS regime clears final parliamentary hurdle
The final legislative obstacle to the Solicitors Regulation Authority licensing alternative business structures was removed on Tuesday when the House of Lords approved secondary legislation on non-lawyer owners’ disclosure of criminal convictions and appeals against ABS licensing decisions.
Claims against solicitors over mortgage fraud shoot up to £173m
New figures from the Solicitors Regulation Authority indicate that the long-predicted wave of claims against solicitors over mortgage fraud is fast becoming a reality. There are now 770 open claims against the Solicitors Compensation Fund relating to mortgage fraud.
Solicitors from Hell founder goes down fighting but closes site after High Court order
The founder of Solicitors from Hell has branded a High Court order to shut down his site as “a sad day for freedom of speech” but said he will no longer seek to keep the controversial service running. On Tuesday the High Court ordered him to “cease, forthwith”.
Lawyers warned over security after QC is found to have breached data protection laws
Lawyers have been warned over their duty to protect personal information, after a barrister was found to have breached the Data Protection Act for failing to encrypt a laptop containing sensitive personal data which was later stolen.
CMCs will start running – and under-settling – cases to survive, lawyers warn
Changes to the personal injury landscape mean that claims management companies and others may step out of regulation altogether to run cases which commercial pressures may lead them to under-settle, the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers has warned.
Law firms “need to show commitment to human rights” in how they operate
Law firms need to have a “publicly available, high-level policy commitment to respect human rights”, a leading legal charity has claimed. Advocates for International Development is now poised to draft a model policy to help comply with new UN human rights guidelines.
