Practice Management
“Give clients what they want – not what you think they need”, digital pioneers tell law firms
Three leading digital pioneers yesterday told law firms to “give clients what they want” rather than what they think clients want, whether that is a daily blog or free legal documents.
Law Society defends PI solicitors offering claims inducements
There is no evidence to justify the government’s plan to ban personal injury solicitors from offering up-front inducements to potential claimants, the Law Society has argued.
Minimum salary finally to go as LSB approves training deregulation
The Legal Services Board has approved wide-ranging plans by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to deregulate training, including the delayed demise of the minimum salary.
SRA whittles down diversity data non-compliers to hardcore 100
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has cut the number of law firms failing to hand over data on the diversity of their staff from 1,106 to 108. The regulator said it had made it “very clear” to the remaining firms that they would face enforcement action.
CML warns on indemnity reforms: “Lenders will cut their panels”
Small firms and sole practitioners could be removed from conveyancing panels if the Solicitors Regulation Authority goes ahead with its indemnity insurance reforms, the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has warned.
Partners in the spotlight as a fifth of firms report “competence failures”
Almost a fifth of firms have reported “failures in competent legal service delivery” in the last 12 months, a major study for the Solicitors Regulation Authority has found.
ASA orders leading PI firm to stop adverts due to NHS ‘confusion’
A well-known personal injury firm has been ordered to stop running a TV advert which directed clients to its NHSLaw.co.uk website, on the grounds that the public might confuse it with the National Health Service.
Firms should consider setting ethnic minority diversity targets, says SRA
Law firms should consider setting diversity targets for BME lawyers and staff, just as some have done with women, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has said.
Medium-sized firms lead way on fee income, profits and PEP
Law firms with 11 to 25 partners are leading the way out of recession, with rising fee incomes, net profits and a 21% surge in profit per equity partner (PEP), research has found.
Solicitors more diverse than society, profession-wide survey shows
Solicitors in law firms are slightly more diverse than the rest of society, the results of the profession-wide diversity monitoring undertaken by the Solicitors Regulation Authority have shown.
Laws on legal professional privilege “need to catch up with digital age”
National laws on protecting privileged legal communications are outdated and need to be brought into the digital age, according to the body representing Europe’s lawyers in a major new report.
Single parent community interest company launches major family law panel
A community interest company which offers support to separating parents through its websites OnlyMums and OnlyDads, has launched a family law panel which it says could become “the place to go as the starting point for family law matters”.
City law firms ‘lead way’ on social mobility
City law firms like Clifford Chance and Allen & Overy are leading the way in their approach to social mobility and recruitment when compared to non-legal professionals, a report has argued.
Online barrister service hits crowdfunding target as Stobart demise “clears way”
Online barrister service myBarrister last week exceeded its target of raising £150,000 through crowd-funding. It has now raised more than £163,000 in just over two months from 65 individual investors – the largest of whom has put in £50,000.
Fewer than one in ten people with legal problems see a lawyer, major study finds
There is a huge unmet need for legal services among individual consumers, the most detailed ever study of the issue has revealed, with fewer than one in 10 people experiencing a legal problem seeking advice from a lawyer.
Blog
Why AI and leadership choices will define law firm profitability in 2026
Despite rapid advances in legal technology, the future of law will not be determined by software alone. It will be shaped by leadership decisions.
Legal director: an alternative to partnership
Firms are increasingly acknowledging the need for alternative senior roles – positions that offer influence and recognition without the obligations of ownership.
It’s time for law firms to ask tougher questions
For years, many law firms have treated ID verification as a box-ticking exercise. Run a liveness check, match a face to a document and move on. But that is no longer good enough.
