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.
Revealed: SRA ABSs clear final hurdle with non-lawyer owners facing convictions check
Non-lawyer investors in alternative business structures will have to disclose any previous convictions, even if spent, to pass the ‘fit and proper owner’ test, Legal Futures can reveal. It was the last major hurdle to the full adoption of ABSs.
Exclusive: Legal Ombudsman bids to handle complaints about will-writers
The Legal Ombudsman is to float the idea of extending its jurisdiction so as to handle complaints against will-writers, in a bid to ease the problems faced by consumers who think they are regulated, Legal Futures can report.
Controversial advocacy scheme now faces delay, regulators admit
The launch of the controversial quality assurance scheme for criminal advocates is likely to be delayed, the Joint Advocacy Group has announced. “Some adjustments” to the scheme are likely “to ensure that there are not unintended consequences”.
Exclusive: top conveyancing practice becomes the first ever ABS
Legal Futures can reveal that Premier Property Lawyers – one of the largest conveyancing businesses in the country – has today become the first ever alternative business structure as the new regime finally gets underway.
‘Virtual’ law firm breaks historic ground with plan for stock market admission
A ‘virtual’ law firm has today become the first UK solicitors’ practice to announce its intention to seek a stock market admission so as to fund growth and attract more solicitors to the business. Everyman Legal will become an alternative business structure when it can.
OFR goes live with SRA reassurance that compliance officers are “not sacrifical lambs”
The new compliance officers required under outcomes-focused regulation – which begins today – “will not be sacrificial lambs for the sins of the organisations they work in”, the chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority has stressed.
Ireland goes further than UK and unveils independent regulation of lawyers
The Republic of Ireland is to introduce completely independent regulation of the legal profession – and possibly fuse the solicitors’ and barristers’ professions – the Dublin government has announced. The reforms meet commitments given to the EU and IMF as part of the country’s financial bail-out.
Hockman: BSB risking future of Bar as separate branch of the profession
The Bar Standards Board’s move into entity regulation raises questions about the future of the Bar as a separate branch of the legal profession and could even lead to a solicitor heading the Bar, a former Bar Council chairman will warn this evening.
Big fall in number of law firms entering assigned risks pool
Just 53 law firms have failed to find professional indemnity insurance and so entered the assigned risks pool (ARP), provisional figures have shown. At the same stage last year, 409 firms had entered the ARP. Firms still have a month in which they can find secure insurance and backdate it to 1 October.
