Practice Management

A gender gap in salaries continues to dog the solicitors’ profession, with men earning on average almost a fifth more than women, according to an earnings survey conducted by the Law Society. Meanwhile, a niche City law firm that shares its profit among all staff has paid out more than the equivalent of a year’s salary to every employee in four years.

The Internet will take over as the main way SMEs and consumers access the law, the owner of the biggest online advice service for small businesses has predicted. Rory MccGwire said consumers would rely on a mixture of online DIY, telephone or online help, and lawyer-matching or comparison websites.

The latest skirmish in a long-running row between two solicitors whose partnership dissolved in acrimony, has seen the High Court rule that the failure of one to mention to his creditors that he had been struck off was a “material irregularity”.

Academics at Westminster Law School have joined forces with their counterparts in the university’s Department of Computer Science to create a virtual reality ‘game’ that they hope will teach students criminal law.

Online legal services business Rocket Lawyer is expanding into continental Europe on the back of its success in the UK to date, which has seen nearly 200,000 people sign up to the service and create more than a million documents in less than four years.

There is still evidence of a culture within law firms where incoming client enquiries are not valued, or seen from the client’s point of view, a new report has found. Concert’s Legal services communications report said there was a “particular gap” around sales-focused communication.

The insurance industry had a taste of its own PR medicine over the weekend after The Times accused insurers of “cheating motorists” by not passing on whiplash savings. Meanwhile, cold-calling was back on the agenda after separate announcements by Which?, the Information Commissioner and National Accident Helpline.

A lawyer-matching service for SMEs has raised £50,000 in less than three days as it bids to crowdfund £360,000 for the next stage of its development. LawyerFair told potential investors that “legal services are an inefficient, low innovation marketplace” and that within three years it would be turning over £4.6m.

Finance staff at larger law firms are seeing their pay rise as the market becomes more competitive, a new survey has found – while those working for small firms were the least likely to have had a pay rise in the past year, despite proving the most loyal.

Law firms that were insured by the now insolvent Enterprise Insurance have until today to arrange alternative cover. The Solicitors Regulation Authority said on Friday that around two-thirds of the 43 firms that were with the Gibraltar-based insurer have already secured alternative cover.

A claims management company in Manchester has become the latest to be slapped down by the Advertising Standards Authority after failing to make clear to potential customers that the amount of money they could receive was before its 33% fee was deducted.

The body representing chartered legal executives has called on the profession to end discrimination against lawyers who have qualified through non-university routes and open up the senior judiciary to those entered the law by alternative means.

A law firm and solicitor found to have sexually discriminated against a student who worked there for six weeks have lost their appeal against the £14,000 award for injury to feelings. In her interview, the solicitor “jokingly” asked her to marry him, and commented on her figure.

Civil, property and employment matters are the most-searched for areas of practice on the Bar Council’s Direct Access Portal, figures released yesterday showed – with EU law fourth on the list as people and businesses try to come to terms with Brexit.

Chambers are seeing more grievances over discriminatory treatment by both employees and members, according to solicitors who advise them on dealing with their equality and diversity obligations. They said diversity presents a “particular challenge to chambers largely as a result of their unique business structure.