Romanian judge’s sanction over Facebook posts breached human rights
A 'reasonable balance' needs to be struck between judges' involvement in society and their impartiality, ECtHR rules.
Employee-owned firm reports profit boost in first full year
Hudgell accounts reveal 98% of share capital was sold to ownership trust for £14.1 million.
Manchester Arena attack: Firms secure settlement for families and survivors
Law firms say this is a moment to acknowledge mistakes that were made leading up to terrorist bombing.
'Comatose' international claim escapes strike-out
'Unilateral decision to do nothing' amounted to abuse of process, judge finds - but refuses application for strike-out.
Lammy announces £20m for free legal support
Justice secretary says three-year grant will 'put the sector on a sustainable footing’.
More lawyers take swipe at Treasury plans for single AML supervisor
Government plans to remove AML regulation from SRA have gone down badly with lawyers.
Gallery: Law firms going the extra mile at Christmas
The Gazette is delighted to showcase firms spreading festive cheer.
LAA scales back contingency measures following cyber attack
Legal aid providers told to move away from email as new arrangements come into force.
Whiplash reforms hindered access to justice, Law Society says
Chancery Lane responds to post-implementation review of previous government's reforms to claims process.
Pogust Goodhead seeks £113.5m interim costs for dam collapse case
'The scale of funding has obviously been, and continues to be, huge and no funder has unlimited resources,' High Court hears.
Supreme Court upholds CAT over £2.7bn collective action
Court of Appeal had no proper basis for interfering with the tribunal’s assessment of the strength of the opt-out claim.
Ex-solicitor disbarred - years after being struck off the roll for the same misconduct
‘Misleading the court and others in legal proceedings is a serious failure,’ says Bar Standards Board spokesperson.
Society members back SGM threshold proposal
Ballot was called after defeat of a proposal to raise the number of signatures required to call special general meeting.
Compliance officer barred for lying about working from home
Employee spent a week misleading colleagues about whether he had come in to office.
Hillsborough bill 'needs fine tuning'
Legal aid concerns raised at parliamentary meeting on Public Office (Accountability) Bill.
Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader in record transatlantic merger
Largest law firm combination in history will create top-five practice with £2.7 billion turnover and more than 3,000 lawyers.
Judge was caused ‘considerable distress’ when solicitor sued her
Solicitor advocate launched an ‘appalling action’ against Master Jennifer James, for which he faces paying costs in excess of £300,000.
'Important difference' in age assessment JR claims, Court of Appeal rules
Unanimous judgment on whether High Court was correct to order local authority to treat migrant as a child.
Candidates' confidence in SQE plummets
Law firms are increasingly confident about exam but candidates criticise multiple-choice test.
SFO secures £900,000 confiscation order against Axiom Fund adviser
Former practitioner has three months to pay £928,479.89 or he could face more years added to his sentence for fraudulent trading.
Solicitors fear burden of dual regulation under AML plans
Society says fundamental change to AML supervision should not be rushed through.
Save the date: Mazur appeal given February 2026 listing
Court date brought forward in recognition of importance of litigation conduct decision.
New backlog record renews conflict on jury curbs
Law Society says justice secretary David Lammy's solution merely transfers problem from one court to another.
SRA shuts down Manchester firm with links to collapsed practice
Regulator says it has acted to protect the interest of Precision Solicitors’ clients.
Shoosmiths unlocks £1m bonus after hitting ‘AI prompts’ target
Firm says technology has freed up staff to focus on important client-facing work.
Bindmans lodges super-complaint over lengthy rape investigations
Law firm highlights 'potential systemic breach' of ECHR obligations.
Fare dodger employs Mazur defence to challenge private prosecutions
Charles Brohiri alleges the use of a lay prosecutor by Govia Thameslink Railway was unlawful.
Mixed response from profession to ombudsman budget rise
Consumer panel reluctantly backs 12.1% rise - but Law Society says complaints handler should concentrate on core statutory function.
Drunken kiss not misconduct, SDT finds
Workplace culture 'lacked appropriate safeguards and encouraged excessive drinking'.
Government promises legislation to end PACCAR ‘limbo’
New bill will clarify that litigation funding deals are not damages-based agreements, minister says.
Law Society to intervene in Court of Appeal Mazur challenge
September ruling on conduct of litigation has caused significant disruption in the legal sector.
'We cannot shirk reform': Lammy refuses to budge on jury trials
Lord chancellor defends Leveson review and says Crown court backlog will exceed 100,000 by the time of the next election without reform.
Drop 'SLAPP' assault, top media lawyer urges SRA
Regulator's campaign against abusive 'lawfare' suffers two tribunal defeats in a week.
Non-practising solicitor struck off for dishonest criminal case work
Gavin Clarke said his judgement was impaired by personal and professional difficulties.
Taylor Wessing confirms transatlantic merger
Tie-up with Winston & Strawn, expected to conclude next May, will not include affiliates in eight European countries.
SRA review finds compliance officers feel undervalued by firms
Regulator concerned that current regime is not always operating effectively.
Outcry over 'lawfare' conviction of Hong Kong democracy activist
British citizen Jimmy Lai ‘criminalised for his journalism’, says global bar’s human rights body.
Government report shuns major reform despite insurer pressure
Claims market left largely untouched after year-long study.
'The competition is fierce': legal services taskforce gets to work
Law Society promotes solicitor profession at first meeting of English Law Promotion Panel.
SSB Law directors disqualified for dishonesty and recklessness
Multiple failures and deliberate policy decisions left clients of defunct Sheffield claims firm facing ruinous costs bills.
SDT throws out Carter-Ruck 'SLAPP' case
SRA's prosecution ‘based on hindsight rather than evidence of professional misconduct’, tribunal finds.
MPs demand evidence behind Lammy's jury plan
Ministry of Justice says impact assessment will be published when the legislation is introduced in parliament.
Taylor Wessing in talks over US merger
City firm in discussions over tieup with Chicago-based Winston & Strawn.
Carter-Ruck partner applies for 'SLAPP' charge dismissal
Defamation specialist 'cannot be professionally responsible for any falsity' in client's instructions, tribunal hears.
Exclusive: Profits down at Freshfields as wage bill soars
Magic circle law firm paid its staff £105 million more than in 2024.
Legal sector defies economy’s contraction
October’s law firm revenues were 3.5% up on last year as GDP shrinks.
Back to the future on client money: SRA to require annual accountants’ reports
Regulator also outlines proposals to ban individuals with significant power and control in a firm from doubling as compliance officers.
Retired solicitor convicted of sexual offences against former clients
Crown court jury finds 72-year-old guilty of 10 of the 22 charges against him.
ECHR: 27 member states back reforms to simplify removals
Statement calls for Article 8 to be adjusted and for clarity on 'inhuman and degrading treatment' under Article 3.
Magistrate reprimanded over trans video
JCIO says an investigation found office-holder’s actions amounted to serious misconduct.
CPS 'retention policy' leaves judge in dark over abuser's previous convictions
Recorder's eyebrow was raised by a lack of detail regarding a defendant’s 2022 battery offence.
Legal aid solicitor forced to leave UK due to salary threshold
Hilda Kwoffie's salary as a legal aid solicitor specialising in mental health work failed to meet £41,700-a-year visa threshold.
Legal aid barrister paid £7 an hour
Bar chief Barbara Mills urges government to increase legal aid rates and establish a pay review body.
Mother’s use of AI ‘entirely understandable’, Court of Appeal finds
Lord Justice Baker, with whom Lord Justice Cobb and Lord Justice Miles agreed, absolves litigant in person of any intention to mislead family court.
SRA intervenes into collapsed north-east firm
Regulator cites 'reason to suspect dishonesty' on the part of a manager in connection with two other firms.
Former solicitor appointed Parole Board vice chair
Her Honour Anne Molyneux was admitted in 1983 before her career took her to the judiciary.
Articles 3 and 8 in spotlight as UK seeks ECHR reform
Lord chancellor and attorney general join move to 'modernise' European Convention on Human Rights.
Clients want real-time updates and named points of contact, watchdog's research finds
Consumer panel finds channel of service is considered less important than the quality, as expectations shift.
US lawyer population continues to rise
Country has 1.37 million practising lawyers, 58% of who are male.
Court of Appeal dismisses psychotherapist's bid for family court anonymity
Lady Justice King and Lord Justice Warby say the witness had ‘fair opportunity’ to instruct her lawyers and complain through them.
SRA issues scam alert after website mimics claims firm
Firm boss says he is grateful to SRA for bringing issue to light.
Former police chief appointed to lead complaints service
Phil Cain arrives at inundated service with a reputation for transforming organisations.
'Pre-budget inertia' hits listed firm's profits
Gateley tells shareholders they can expect ‘business as usual’ to return in next six months.
Land Registry publishes 'avoidable' conveyancing errors
Conveyancers getting better at submitting correct applications first time round but HM Land Registry says challenge remains.
Online dispute resolution comes a step closer with draft procedure rules
New rules will be 'far more simple and accessible' than the current Civil Procedure Rules, says master of the rolls.
Human rights lawyers condemn Bangladesh trials
Justice system 'at risk of being used as an instrument of political contestation', IBA Human Rights Institute says.
Ministers consider ban on referral fees in housing disrepair
Government acknowledges that lawyers hold councils to account - but raise concerns about costs.
In depth: Removing barriers to administrative justice
Improving the quality of administrative decision-making is the most efficient and cost-effective way of removing barriers to justice, according to a report from the Administrative Justice Council.
In depth: A Christmas pay rise for legal aid lawyers
Some legal aid lawyers will benefit from increased fees from 22 December, although a commitment to raise rates in line with inflation currently running at 4% remains conspicuously absent.
Suspended sentence for former CPS paralegal who accessed case file without permission
The 27-year-old admitted misconduct in public office.
Expect enforcement action for lack of Mazur response, SRA warns
Regulator says it will look ‘sympathetically’ at historical mistakes made by firms
Hamlins partner cleared in closely watched 'SLAPPs' case
Christopher Mark Hutchings, of London firm Hamlins LLP, cleared of misconduct following private hearing.
In depth: LLG conference - council solicitors grappling with restructuring and Mazur
The government’s plans to reform local authorities, and the difficulties Mazur has created, were among the hot topics at this year’s Lawyers in Local Government governance conference.
Magistrate's 'racially insensitive comment' leads to sanction
JCIO says office-holder’s comment had caused ‘emotional harm’ to an individual.
Post Office leak of victims' details 'not egregious', data watchdog finds
Information Commissioner’s Office says people affected by the Post Office scandal were ‘let down again’.
North-west firm builds £200m war chest for continued claims assault
Headcount rose to 41 earlier this year for a firm with £177m-worth of work in progress.
Solicitor who failed to spot 'sophisticated' fraud fined £15,000
Paul Edmund Levy acted in two loan transactions worth around £464,000 that bore hallmarks of fraud.
The Master and Margate Pier
Obiter Productions presents a tale from a distant country in a far-off time (with apologies to Bulgakov).
'Hidden super-power': Lammy convenes legal services taskforce
Members of 'English Law Promotion Panel' include Law Society, Bar Council, CityUK and senior judges.
Lammy doubles down on jury plan
Ministry of Justice figures suggest Crown court backlog could hit 135,100 by 2030.
'Failed merger talks': why Wright Hassall went under
179-year old firm spoke to more than two dozen different parties but couldn’t find a partner, administrator reports.
Society to research feasibility of independent defence union
Committee of inquiry issues recommendations on supporting solicitors subject to disciplinary proceedings.
Practice conditions lifted on ex-magic circle lawyer twice cautioned for cocaine possession
Practitioner had failed to disclose a second police caution to his employers in 2018.
LiPs complaining more about barristers, regulator reveals
BSB’s 2024-25 annual report also reveals reports of bullying and harassment almost doubled on previous year.
Government consults on legal framework for facial recognition
Minister acknowledges 'legitimate concerns about this powerful technology'.
Solicitor rebuked over duplicate asylum statements
Regulator says sole practitioner allowed unauthorised person to submit application.
Solicitor, 30, killed in RTA helped three people through organ donation, inquest hears
Emily Thornton-Sandy was involved in a head-on collision with a 90-year-old driver travelling the wrong way down an A-road.
Warning to lawyers helping LiP with AI-generated authorities
More than two fake cases were cited in submissions by a claimant seeking £2 million in compensation.
Former law firm owner jailed for ignoring freezing order
Dorota Newman found to have engaged in ‘deliberate policy of non-engagement’.
Claims lawyers back end to ‘gamesmanship’ over email service bans
Association of Personal Injury Lawyers says outdated rules are causing delays and extra expense.