All articles by Gazette reporter – Page 32
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SRA joins attack on ‘poorly informed’ Legal Services Board
The Legal Services Board stands accused of partiality and incompetence in the latest attack from a regulator.
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SRA sticks to its red tape agenda
The board of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) said today it has approved all 10 amendments to the Solicitors Handbook identified in its ‘red tape initiative’.
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Society pours cold water on the SRA’s red-tape bonfire
The Law Society has come to the defence of nearly half the items on a menu of ‘unnecessary’ red tape drawn up by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
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PC renewals ‘relatively trouble free’ but 4,500 short
The deadline for solicitors to renew their practising certificates has passed with an estimated 4,500 applications still outstanding, the Solicitors Regulation Authority said today.
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Hillsborough investigation launched by SRA
The role and conduct of solicitors involved in legal proceedings following the 1989 Hillsborough disaster will be investigated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the regulator announced today. However it said it has yet to receive any formal complaints about the conduct of solicitors involved ...
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SRA courts troubled firms
Law firms facing financial problems have been urged to contact the Solicitors Regulation Authority for support and advice. SRA supervisors are already getting in touch with practices that may need help, as part of the regulator’s new approach under outcomes-focused regulation. ...
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PC renewal to start on 1 November
The president of The Law Society has today written to solicitors explaining the process for renewing practising certificates in 2012/13, which will begin on 1 November. Lucy Scott-Moncrieff outlines steps that have been taken to make the process run smoothly following last year’s well-publicised disruption. ...
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SRA offers support to struggling firms
Law firms facing financial problems as a result of the recession have today been urged to contact the Solicitors Regulation Authority for support and advice. SRA supervisors are already getting in touch with practices that may need help, as part of the regulator’s new approach under outcomes-focused regulation. ...
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Law Society announces Excellence Awards shortlist
The Law Society has unveiled the shortlist of lawyers and firms nominated for this year’s Excellence Awards. The awards recognise the most outstanding practitioners in the legal profession in categories ranging from Excellence in Innovation and Solicitor of the Year – Private Practice, to Excellence in ...
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Jersey court endorses third-party funding
The Royal Court of Jersey has once again endorsed the legitimate role of litigation funding in bringing cases on the island.
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New public service ABS seeks investors
A niche London legal practice styled as the only UK firm focusing on public service delivery is seeking external investment after becoming an alternative business structure (ABS). TPP Law Limited, based in Bankside, central London, was founded over a decade ago by current managing director Mark ...
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Dyson to succeed Neuberger as master of the rolls
Supreme Court judge Lord Dyson will succeed Lord Neuberger as master of the rolls when the latter becomes president of the Supreme Court, the government announced today. The appointment had been widely expected. Neuberger will take over from current SC president Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers ...
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Society cancels Law Conference 2012
The Law Society has postponed its national conference aimed at corporate-focused lawyers, it announced today. The event, which was to have been held next month, will now take place in 2013 in London. Law Conference 2012 was scheduled for 20-22 September at Celtic Manor, Newport. ...
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Administrators pursue former Halliwells partners for £20m
The administrators of collapsed law firm Halliwells have written to former equity partners demanding the repayment of a £20m ‘reverse premium’ which the partners shared when the firm moved into new premises in Manchester. BDO confirmed it wrote to the partners last week demanding they pay ...
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Solicitors warned about website clones
Lawyers are being warned by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to keep a regular watch on their websites in order to foil 'cloning' criminals. With just minor changes to a solicitor’s website – such as an almost unnoticeable change of name or contact details – internet fraudsters ...
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Consumer panel wants lawyers to undergo ‘regular MOT’
Lawyers would have to demonstrate at regular intervals that they are competent to practise under radical proposals from consumer watchdogs for beefing up quality. The Legal Services Consumer Panel has today called for the introduction of ‘periodic validation’ – a review of permission to practise after a fixed time – ...
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Law Society warning over immigration cap proposals
The government’s immigration cap must be scrapped completely, or the international competitiveness of the UK will be damaged, the Law Society warned today. In a speech at the Policy Exchange thinktank, home secretary Theresa May confirmed that restrictions on highly skilled workers entering the UK will ...
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Chancery Lane publishes Jackson review response
The Law Society today warned against piecemeal implementation of Lord Justice Jackson’s proposals on civil litigation costs, telling the government that this could be ‘very damaging’ to access to justice. Jackson himself has said that his reforms will not succeed unless they are implemented as a whole.
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Court of Appeal confirms limits to legal professional privilege
The Court of Appeal today unanimously confirmed that legal professional privilege (LPP) only applies to qualified lawyers – solicitors and barristers. The decision was welcomed by the Law Society as giving certainty to solicitors and their clients.
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New ombudsman service Is ‘good value for money’
The new legal ombudsman service set up to investigate and resolve complaints made by users of legal services will open on 6 October this year. Established by the Office for Legal Complaints and based in Birmingham, the service will replace the Law Society-run Legal Complaints Service ...