Two magistrates sanctioned over car park incidents
One magistrate was issued with a formal warning for misconduct while the other was issued with formal advice, JCIO says.
Dentons 'somewhat obstructive' over ongoing £2m bills dispute
Costs judge says international firm’s ‘absence of informative replies’ led to inspection application.
Surge in complaints about surveyors in housing disrepair cases
Regulator concerned about conflict of interest between solicitors firms and surveyors instructed on multiple cases.
Mesh claims solicitor not responding to SRA, tribunal hears
Three-day substantive hearing set to go ahead next year to examine multitude of allegations.
A-Level results day: Law degrees more popular than ever
Number of teens heading to college or university to study Law rises by over 2,500.
Law centre complains to SRA about UK Lawyers for Israel
Lobby group accused of deploying SLAPPs to muzzle free expression dismisses allegations as ‘inaccurate and misinformed’.
Legal sector revenues continue to outperform economy
Revenues were 7% up on June 2024, official statistics show.
Crown court case listed for 2029 as backlog mounts
Long wait for court hearing could be in breach of human rights convention, barrister says.
Profits recover at Eversheds as top firms report mixed results
Two international firms report results in year marked by 'geopolitical complexities and uncertain market conditions'.
No weight given to 'AI-generated' evidence submitted by solicitors
Question of whether a mother would be entitled to benefits in New Zealand goes unanswered.
Practice manager took more than £500,000 from firm which then went bust
SRA says employee showed 'complete and wilful disregard' for his obligations.
SQE petition author hits back at Braverman's 'snowflake' jibe
Author of a petition calling for reform of the SQE has accused former home secretary of 'misquoting' her.
Rebuke for allowing unqualified caseworker to submit 'meritless' JR bid
Practitioner at ‘London’s top law firm’ failed to support the effective administration of justice.
National firm unfazed by dip in profits
Investment in people, infrastructure and technology reflected in trading performance.
Memory lane
Embracing agile working and a Law Society president from Manchester: a stroll down Gazette memory lane.
Warning for magistrate who was 'disrespectful' to litigant in person
Magistrate issued with formal warning for misconduct after his behaviour was found to involve an ‘abuse of authority’.
Fees charged by US firms keep on soaring
Annual rise in hourly rates topped 7% in second quarter, research from Thomson Reuters shows.
'Hackers' threaten to publish Legal Aid Agency records
Authenticity of posts on new Telegram channel not possible to verify.
SRA concerned by solicitors' lack of 'meaningful reflection' on training
Too many practitioners simply listing the activities they carried out but not thinking about their practice.
Fieldfisher reports marginal revenue rise amid Europe changes
Firm reflects on year of 'strategic transformation and investment'.
HMCTS dismisses 'IT bug' allegations as bar calls for tech audit
Barbara Mills, chair of the Bar Council, noted that the incident is ‘latest in a series of issues with the courts’ IT systems’.
Bye bye, baby? Not for Andrew…
A former Law Society president is celebrating 50 years with the same Merseyside firm.
Manager whose client was politically exposed person is fined £32,500 over AML breaches
SDT also orders solicitor pay £50,000 costs and imposes practice restrictions following unintentional failings.
Former magistrate resigned before being removed from office over civil proceedings
Judicial office holder ‘was critical of the court process which resulted’ in adverse findings against her in civil proceedings.
Solicitor hits out at MoD for 'deny until they die' strategy
North-west firm calls for ministry to be stripped of power to handle negligence claims, comparing its approach to the Post Office.
Firm wins damages over breached PPI referral agreement
Defendant firm 'assumed commercial risk of running unprofitable cases' and was 'bound by the bargain'.
Rose from the dead
Kent firm Furley Page spots a legal angle to the death of heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne.
Birmingham firm calls in administrators as business split up and sold
Pre-pack deal secures majority of jobs at closing firm.
In depth: Claims firms unbowed by Supreme Court motor finance setback
The Supreme Court’s rulings in Hopcraft, Wrench and Johnson were hailed as a victory for the lenders. But the sector is bracing for further litigation
Law firm majority owners will pay £12m for remaining shares ahead of delisting
Tender oversubscribed as Bond Turner owner seeks to exit AIM.
Claimants win battle over expert evidence in housing disrepair
Landlord’s 'unhealthy connection' argument fails to persuade county court to strike out claims.
Judgment embargo breach leads to High Court advice - but no further action
Judge suggests legal representatives 'identify and advise specifically who can and who cannot know about the judgment'.
CCRC chairs to face MPs' scrutiny
Minister says CCRC chair role will now face pre-appointment scrutiny and admits Henley report was delayed on MoJ and Cabinet Office advice.
Never snows but it pours
What could be more uplifting for debt-laden students than a prominent Conservative denouncing them as ‘snowflakes’ in a national newspaper.
Clyde & Co growing in US as profits edge up
City firm reports 27th consecutive year of revenue growth.
Abuse of process appeal fails as parties were 'following direction of the court'
'Courts expect their orders to be obeyed,' judge notes in costs appeal in 'latter-day Bleak House' litigation.
Solicitor who misled employment tribunal about 'IT issues' is struck off
Employment law specialist claimed she had not received emails due to a disabled security system.
Serious injury specialist opens bespoke firm
Experienced solicitor motivated to help victims navigate specialist services.
New 'restriction zones' to limit offenders' movements
Primary legislation will give probation officers greater powers ‘as soon as parliamentary time allows’, Ministry of Justice says.
'Distress' specialist takes control of Pogust Goodhead
Huw Dolphin, former managing partner of DLA Piper’s Birmingham office, is a turnaround consultant.
Government launches review of collective actions
'Tens of billions of pounds' have been paid in damages under Competition Appeal Tribunal opt-out regime.
Wife who hid assets in pre-nup hit with costs penalties
Judges say non-disclosure of full financial position could be characterised as fraudulent.
Pogust Goodhead chief 'abruptly replaced' as firm installs new management team
Class action firm reveals it has brought in 'further experienced law firm management support'.
Solicitor who handled £8.8m in unverified funds struck off
Sole practitioner claimed he had a firm-wide risk assessment in place - but later admitted he didn’t know what that was.
Solicitors pessimistic over Leveson reforms
Proposed changes will have little impact on rocketing court backlogs, Law Society research suggests.
Kaplan fines deployed to fund disadvantaged SQE candidates
SRA picks 11 organisations, including the Law Society, to help candidates with exam fees.
Braverman's bombast straight from playbook
We asked ChatGPT for a 400-word Telegraph article on the demise of the legal profession...
Solicitor 'duped' into sending £1.2m kept off roll
Conveyancer had concealed the position from his insurer after a buyer who lost £350,000 complained.
Carter-Ruck partner prosecuted by SRA for alleged SLAPP
Firm says it will fully support leading defamation lawyer against allegations of 'improper threat'.
Braverman attacks 'snowflake' solicitors over SQE petition
Exams are difficult - but that is the point, former home secretary argues.
Family court judge sanctioned over anger at representative
Judge’s misconduct was ‘brief’ and took place in a ‘difficult to manage’ hearing, JCIO states.
Zahawi solicitor to appeal tribunal decision on email threat
Osborne Clarke partner says tribunal's findings were 'irrational and unsustainable'.
'Combative and constantly argumentative' claimant's libel case dismissed
Article about 'street agitator' who 'exacerbated frayed tensions' was substantially true, judge rules.
Prisoners released directly from court 'not given the necessary support'
Independent review by Dame Anne Owers looks at prison crisis’ impact on other parts of the criminal justice system, including the courts.
Irwin Mitchell and Walker Morris results add to profit bonanza
Firms seeking to grow further after posting excellent results.
Partner with 'head in sand' approach to deadline is struck off
Tribunal gives short shrift to solicitor’s claim he was overwhelmed by workload.
Firm owner suspended for hiring assistant subject to SRA restrictions
Following an agreed outcome, the solicitor has been suspended for a month and must pay £4,800 costs.
Magistrate who ‘misused’ car park given formal warning
JCIO says the office holder was sanctioned for serious misconduct due to her ‘false account of the matter’.
Clients need compensation for emotional strain, says ombudsman
Firms urged to offer remedy for emotional upset when they have failed a client.
'Story does not end here': claimant firms react to ‘disappointing’ motor finance judgment
Supreme Court ruling a ‘major blow to consumer protection' and 'will force claims management companies to change their strategy'.
AI to be embedded across justice system
Action plan includes ’partnerships with legal serices providers and regulators to support AI driven legal innovation’.
Land Registry invites deeds signed electronically
Removing the need for a third party to witness the execution of a deed creates 'greater flexibility and simplicity'.
In focus: Information war rages on litigation funding
As the government digests the Civil Justice Council’s final report, efforts to sway opinion on the dangers – or virtues – of the funding industry are in full swing.
FCA to consult on motor finance redress following Supreme Court ruling
Consultation on the industry-wide scheme is expected to open in October - with any payouts to begin next year.
Barrister’s appeal against disbarment over sexual harassment of pupils dismissed
High Court finds ‘sanction of disbarment was not manifestly excessive; nor was it wrong or clearly inappropriate’.
In focus: Has geopolitics trumped legal nuance on sanctions?
Lord Leggatt's dissenting judgment in Shvidler case bemoans 'serious invasion of liberty'.
Motor finance: Supreme Court upholds lender appeals
Judgment dashing the hopes of claims firms was timed for Friday afternoon on advice of Financial Conduct Authority to avoid ‘market disorder’.
Miscarriage of justice watchdog reviews failed IPP applications
CCRC to look again at past cases involving young people after appeal court quashes two indeterminate sentences.
Hundreds sign petition calling for SQE reform
Anonymous trainee says the exam has taken a severe toll on their mental, financial and physical wellbeing.
Pogust Goodhead threatens action over 'unlawful conspiracy' to undermine case
Mining giant BHP dismisses Pogust Goodhead’s allegations ‘in their entirety’.
Legal Aid Agency data breach bigger than first thought
Data going back 18 years may have been accessed, including information linked to the partners of applicants.
Tweeting solicitor avoids suspension but must attend antisemitism course
Bradford practitioner ordered to complete at least 14 hours of diversity and anti-racism training and pay £63,000 costs.
Specialists welcome new arbitration regime
Arbitration Act clarifies position on applicable law and creates summary dismissal procedure for hopeless cases.
Reading Crown Court tests fast-track case pilot
A fast-track trial pilot is under way at the Crown court in Reading to try and expedite cases which are most likely to crack, after the backlog of cases reached a 25-year high last month.
Society secures funding for US market-opening work
Money will support work to create business opportunities in California and Florida legal markets.
Court of Appeal quashes murder conviction - again
Conviction unsafe as trial judge ‘did not carry out the required assessment’ under section 125 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003.
New legal aid portal coming soon, MoJ confirms
New system will be introduced in September - but may not mark end of months of disruption for legal aid lawyers.
Strike-off for failure to declare money in divorce settlement
Partner did not consider his interest in the firm to be a matrimonial asset, Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal hears.
SRA and City watchdog fire joint warning on motor finance claims
Law firms and CMCs must tell consumers about any free redress scheme, practitioners told.
Day of reckoning looms for motor finance claims
Lords Reed, Hodge, Lloyd-Jones, Briggs and Hamblen will be deliver judgment in closely watched case on Friday.
Tweeting solicitor tells tribunal antisemitic post was not intended
During cross-examination practitioner acknowledges some of his social media posts were ‘offensive’.
Judgment leak alarm as former owners of Ukraine bank found liable for $1.9bn
Mr Justice Trower 'very alarmed' by apparent leak of judgment finding former owners of nationalised bank liable over misappropriation.
Memory lane
The abolishment of the year-and-a-day rule for murder, calls for less prescription on ABSs, and the Valley Parade fire disaster.
LAA portal could be fixed - in September
Disruption endured by lawyers in submitting applications and receiving payments to last at least another month.
High Court dismisses struck off solicitor's appeal
Mr Justice Macdonald found ‘no basis for concluding…that the decision of the tribunal was wrong’.
Mrs Justice Cockerill to be deputy head of civil justice
Announcement follows appointment of Lord Justice Birss as chancellor of the High Court.
In depth: Open justice - Commercial Court documents go public
In a boost for open justice, Commercial Court documents will have to be made public from October. Anxious litigators are assured that ‘genuinely confidential’ material will be redacted.
Supreme Court judges clash over sanctions appeal
'Extraordinary' dissenting judgment condemns an 'Orwellian... serious invasion of liberty'.
Slater and Gordon raises £30m in share issue as underlying profits climb
National firm reports 225% rise in operating surplus as it refocuses on high-value services and group actions.
Travers and Mishcon boost NQ pay
Mishcon partner says higher salary will make firm an 'attractive destination' as salary war in the City continues.