Complaints against conveyancers on the rise, but respite for personal injury solicitors
Complaints against conveyancers are on the rise, but complaints against personal injury lawyers have fallen dramatically, figures from the Legal Complaints Service have shown.
Undermining undertakings
The move from regulating individuals to regulating entities means threatens to make undertakings less effective than in the past and so recipients need to take extra care, explains Iain Miller of Bevan Brittan.
Exclusive: SRA seeks Law Society approval for £22m investment in new IT system
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) will this week ask the Law Society Council for around £22 million to invest in a new IT system, Legal Futures can reveal. The ‘Enabling Programme’ will also offer benefits to the wider Law Society but has come in at more than 50% more than estimated a year ago.
Investec: large firms to use Legal Services Act as catalyst for structural change
Nearly half of large law firms are planning to become alternative business structures (ABSs), Investec Specialist Private Bank has reported. A poll of 30 managing partners at an Investec event held last month revealed that 45% are considering establishing an ABS, and 36% are contemplating becoming a multi-disciplinary practice.
The new reality
Dominic Cullis, chairman of the Legal Software Suppliers Association, considers what alternative business structures mean for high street firms that want to retain their current model and the role IT has in the new legal landscape.
Limiting the damage
This week’s Question of Ethics from the Solicitors Regulation Authority looks at circumstances in which you can co-operate with the police against the interests of your client.
ABSs to undergo scrutiny of Cabinet committee aiming to slash regulation
A new Cabinet committee is to review whether the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) and alternative business structures (ABSs) should be implemented, it emerged yesterday. The news comes as The Times speculated today that the new team at the Ministry of Justice might kick ABSs into the long grass, but investigations by Legal Futures indicate that there is no foundation for this.
Scottish government to regulate will-writers
The Scottish government has decided to push ahead with regulating non-lawyer will-writers, it has emerged. In a move that will intensify pressure on the Legal Services Board in England and Wales, the government plans to apply a set of regulatory rules, enforcement measures and sanctions to ensure non-lawyer will-writers conform to acceptable industry practice.
Consumers not that keen on Tesco Law, survey finds. Or M&S Law. Or solicitors’ fees
Consumers of legal services are not tempted by the prospect of household name brands moving into legal services, research has found. It also revealed that ‘expense’ or ‘expensive’ was the word most commonly associated with the word ‘solicitor’, while almost half of those interviewed felt the experience represented poor value for money.
Will-writers win OFT approval for code of practice
The Institute of Professional Willwriters today became only the tenth trade body to receive Office of Fair Trading (OFT) approval for its code of practice. This means that the OFT is satisfied that the code provides consumers with protection and offers a higher level of customer service.
