Property slump hits licensed conveyancers
The property slump has had a major impact on the ranks of licensed conveyancers, with the number of students more than halving in just two years. But they are starting to take up their new probate rights.
Weekly round-up: e-commerce, outsourcing, negligence and law firm websites
Our weekly round-up of other interesting regulation/Legal Services Act type stories begins with the Law Society Gazette’s ever-interesting Euro blog by Jonathan Goldsmith, secretary-general of Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe. He looks at a European Commission consultation on how it can encourage e-commerce, with lawyers one of the key targets.
Junior barristers face huge PC fee hike
Junior barristers are facing huge rises in their practising certificate fees under reforms unveiled by the Bar Council. Women and black and minority ethnic barristers are set to be disproportionately hit by the increases, although the Bar Council says the waiver system for low earners will offset this.
Regulator announces crackdown on CMCs cold-calling and taking up-front fees
The claims management regulator has launched a crackdown on companies that are cold-calling consumers and taking up-front fees without giving clients a reasonable period to consider the agreement they are signing.
LSB "unwise" to change reserved activities without proper criteria, warns Mayson
The Legal Services Board would be “unwise” to increase or reduce the list of reserved legal activities at the moment, the Legal Services Policy Institute has warned. Professor Stephen Mayson said it first needs a set of criteria to judge the case for reservation.
Appeals consultation shows LSB making contingency plans to regulate ABSs itself
The Legal Services Board has continued making contingency plans to regulate alternative business structures itself if none of the current approved regulators are up to the task, it has emerged from a consultation on the arrangements for appeals against the decisions of ABS licensing authorities.
SRA to pilot dedicated relationship managers for large or risky law firms and ABSs
A pilot of how the Solicitors Regulation Authority could supervise law firms through dedicated relationship managers will begin this autumn, it has emerged. Permanent relationship management could be for large commercial firms and ABSs, with temporary arrangements for the likes of new firms and those in the assigned risks pool.
Ombudsman rejects Law Society claim that new complaints system will not be cheaper
The Legal Ombudsman has rejected suggestions from the Law Society that the new complaints-handling service will not prove any cheaper for solicitors, Legal Futures can reveal.
Regulators “must do more” to engage consumers in their work
The profession’s regulators have been urged to put consumer engagement at their heart of their strategies after talks last month found their efforts to date have been limited. The Legal Services Consumer Panel says this is “an essential part of being a credible regulator”.
Legal Services Board fires warning shot over how Law Society spends practising fees
The Legal Services Board has fired a warning shot across the bows of the Law Society over the way the practising certificate fee is divided up after expressing concern that some money is being applied to “non-permitted purposes”.
