Practice Management

More than 1,000 barristers have already signed up to a “game changing” initiative that aims to smooth the way for consumers and businesses to use public access, Legal Futures can reveal.

Workload and disciplinary problems have topped the table of reasons why lawyers contacted mental health charity LawCare last year, between them accounting for nearly half of all calls.

Claims management companies (CMCs) which break the rules this year face potentially huge fines – of up to 20% for those with an annual turnover of more than £500,000. Smaller CMCs can be fined up to £100,000.

Failure to undertake continuous professional development will be an “aggravating factor” when enforcement decisions are made against those guilty of incompetence, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has said.

A group of US-based entrepreneurs claim to have carried out pioneering research which has shown that big commercial firms in the UK are “routinely rehiring poor performing barristers while ignoring the best performers”.

London firm Hodge Jones & Allen has launched a fixed-fee arbitration service for divorcing couples in the wake of judicial support for such a move to keep costs down. The firm is encouraging more law firms to get on board.

US company LegalZoom today makes plain its ambitions for the UK market by saying there is “no question” that it will become the best-known legal brand on this side of the Atlantic.

He has been sued 18 times in relation to the website he founded, and lost each time, but now Rick Kordowski, the man behind SolicitorsFromHell.co.uk, has recorded an unexpected High Court win.

Users of the civil legal aid telephone gateway who sought face-to-face advice “often did so out of preference as opposed to need”, a review has suggested.

The Bar Standards Board has turned to the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives to provide training to members of staff without legal qualifications. Meanwhile, ILEX Professional Standards – CILEx’s regulatory arm – is on the hunt for a new chief executive.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has rejected a proposal by the Law Society to extend the additional indemnity run-off cover provided by the Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF) for a further three years until 2023.

The government should invest in online dispute resolution for small claims – but not until 2016 so lessons can be learnt from pioneering projects in Holland and Canada, a major report has advised. Meanwhile, Professor Richard Susskind has called for ODR to be explored “urgently”.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has opened up a three-month window for solicitors to own up to income they have not declared, or face tougher penalties if they are caught dodging tax.

Riverview Law is setting up a separate business which will own and exploit the technology built by the alternative business structure over the last three years. The first move has been for Riverview itself to launch a range of software modules targeted at in-house legal teams.

The European Commission has launched today a new online find-a-lawyer search engine, enabling potential clients to find lawyers in 17 countries, including France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Scotland – but not England and Wales.