Practice Management
Sloppy law firms “using Covid as excuse” for regulatory shortcomings
Law firms are using the pandemic as “an excuse” for failing to do things and this could lead to questions from their regulator, an accountant specialising in Solicitors Accounts Rules audits has warned.
Five-star Trustpilot reviews becoming “hygiene factor” not differentiator
More than eight in every 10 reviews on Trustpilot award law firms five stars, making them increasingly a “hygiene factor” rather than a differentiator, new research has indicated.
Largely positive response to office return, law firm bosses report
The boss of a Cheshire law firm has said the “constant theme” of recent appraisals is that “people want to come back to the office”, with another saying his firm has reversed plans to downsize its office.
App launches with huge range of legal help to consumers and SMEs
An app for SMEs to diagnose and get guidance on their legal problems has now launched a consumer version that helps users find and book a lawyer, and is integrated with government services.
CLC to introduce ‘polluter pays’ to cover cost of Legal Ombudsman
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers is set to become the first regulator to introduce a ‘polluter pays’ element to how it recovers the cost of the Legal Ombudsman from those it regulates.
Small firms increasingly worried by competition from online providers
Small law firms increasingly see online legal services providers as their biggest commercial threat, and are becoming more worried about DIY providers too, new research has shown.
Tribunal throws out employment lawyer’s disability discrimination claim
An employment lawyer who appeared at tribunals during a time he said he was “pretty constantly bed bound” due to a back injury has had his disability discrimination claim rejected.
Solicitor sells HR software company to PE-backed healthcare business
A solicitor who sold his stake in the law firm he co-founded to focus on a HR software company set up at the same time has now sold the IT business.
Firm sued over ground rent that doubles every five years
A West Midlands law firm is being sued by a client who claims it failed to tell of a “ridiculous” ground rent that doubles every five years – meaning she will be paying £1m a year in 50 years.
Investors back start-up that turns collaborating lawyers into virtual firm
A lawtech start-up has far exceeded its target to raise funding of £120,000 for software that links lawyers who know each other so they can collaborate remotely and compete with large firms.
Half of in-house lawyers say companies miss contract renewals
Almost half of in-house lawyers say their companies are missing automatic contract renewals, with some resorting to Post-it notes or writing on their hands to remind themselves.
Law firms will continue with digital learning – if they can find the time
Two-thirds of law firms say the increase in digital learning as a result of the pandemic will continue, but a quarter of firms told a survey their lawyers have “no time” for training during the working day.
Firm discriminated against partner suffering mental health problems
A former equity partner at Freeths has won a disability discrimination claim over the way the leading midlands law firm treated him after he was diagnosed with mental health problems.
Rocket Lawyer fuels growth with £161m investment
Online legal services provider Rocket Lawyer has received a £161m funding boost to meet growing demand and scale up its cloud-based case management system.
LSB: Regulators must play role in unleashing potential of lawtech
There is a long way to go to unlock the potential of technology to transform legal services and regulators have an important role in this, the chief executive of the Legal Services Board has said.
Blog
Change in regulator shouldn’t make AML less of a priority
While SRA fines for AML have been climbing, many in the profession aren’t confident they will get any relief from the FCA, a body used to dealing with a highly regulated industry.
There are 17 million wills waiting to be written
The main reason cited by people who do not have a will was a lack of awareness as to how to arrange one. As a professional community, we seem to be failing to get our message across.
The case for a single legal services regulator: why the current system is failing
From catastrophic firm collapses to endemic compliance failures, the evidence is mounting that the current multi-regulator model is fundamentally broken.
