New chair for Legal Services Board at ‘key point in development of legal services market’ Legal Business The Legal Services Board (LSB) has brought in a former chief executive of Cheshire and Kent County Councils, Sir Michael…
Law Society CEO Des Hudson announces summer retirement following calls for resignation Sarah Downey Law Society chief executive Des Hudson has today (14 March) announced he is retiring in July after the society’s annual…
Chartered legal execs to stand on a par with solicitors in conveyancing and probate after Grayling approval Legal Business In a further step towards breaking down the traditional restraints on delivering legal services, chartered legal executives have been given…
Family marketing teams on DEFCON 1 as Law Commission calls for gold-plated prenups in UK law Caroline Hill For marketing teams at the family bar it’s been a tough wait but at last the Law Commission has issued its…
Where the bodies lie – the risk report 2014 Mark McAteer While the regulatory upheaval of recent years has calmed down, our annual risk report finds law firms facing many…
More in-fighting as Law Society contests SRA attempts to gain greater fining powers Legal Business SRA aims to bring maximum fines for law firms closer to the much higher figures for ABSs Further tensions in…
High Street gloom as SRA publishes full list of uninsured firms forced to close Francesca Fanshawe The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) last month confirmed the names of the 136 firms which have been forced to close…
Insurance matters – SRA launches consultation on rated insurers as it releases market share figures Francesca Fanshawe Professional indemnity insurance (PII) continues to dominate the legal agenda after the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) yesterday (28 January) released…
High Street gloom as SRA publishes full list of uninsured firms forced to close Francesca Fanshawe The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has confirmed the names of the 136 firms which have been forced to close since…
More in-fighting as Law Society contests SRA’s attempts to gain greater fining powers Legal Business Further cracks in The Law Society’s already strained relationship with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) have emerged this week as…
Former Stewarts Law pair to return to SDT after High Court upholds one finding of dishonesty Legal Business Former Stewarts Law partner Andrew Shaw has failed to entirely clear his name in the High Court, which has ordered that the…
Guest post: Too close for comfort – Research concludes the Bar Council has ‘undue influence’ over regulation Legal Business The Bar may be collegiate, but are the Bar Council and the Bar Standards Board (BSB) too close? Have you read…
LSB recommends patent and trademark firm regulator become ABS licensing authority Francesca Fanshawe Increasing numbers of patent and trademark firms can be expected to join the swathes of legal entities becoming alternative business…
Former Times head of legal Alastair Brett suspended for six months for misleading court Sarah Downey The former head of legal for The Times newspaper, Alastair Brett, has been suspended from practising for six months by…
New SRA figures show record solicitor numbers as profession not so much declines as changes shape Sarah Downey Contrary to the often bleak picture painted of dwindling numbers entering a legal profession in crisis the number of practising solicitors…
Guest post: Is a return to self-regulation really on the cards? Legal Business Two months ago, I blogged about the Law Society’s surprising submission to the Ministry of Justice’s legal regulation review, which…
Law firm collapse: SRA intervenes to close down insolvent Follett Stock Francesca Fanshawe Set against a backdrop of over 100 UK law firms currently under threat of closure for failing to obtain professional…
No dishonesty but two Addleshaws partners handed £5,000 fine at tribunal following ‘discrepancies’ Francesca Fanshawe It won’t rank near the summit of publicity-hogging mis-conduct cases seen at major law firms in recent years but two…
Addleshaw stands by its men as two partners face SDT hearing Francesca Fanshawe The legal profession has seen a handful of high profile cases of commercial lawyers caught out in allegations of fraud…
Bircham Dyson Bell ex-partner struck off for £2m client overcharging and false expenses Legal Business A former Bircham Dyson Bell partner has been struck off the Roll after knowingly overcharging clients, misusing client funds and making…
