Legal watchdog working on plan to end inconsistencies
A standard complaint resolution procedure is being worked up with firms.
Barrister who drank alcohol during trial break fined £3,000
Experienced barrister was also ordered to pay £2,670 costs by the Bar Tribunals & Adjudication Service.
Legal Aid Agency urged to give solicitors more powers
Ten-point set of recommendations to minimise data breach fallout.
Knights makes another acquisition and adds 33 lawyers
Sussex and Kent firm sells up to consolidator, with three offices to shut.
Firm breaks £1m PEP mark and renews diversity targets
Chief executive says City outfit 'not the same firm' it was a few years ago.
Post Office scandal victims urged to report excessive legal fees
'Vast majority' of lawyers not charging for compensation advice, but there are reports of some ‘problematic’ fees.
M&S sweet sandwich raises VAT question
Will the limited-edition strawberries and cream sandwich be regarded as a staple food and exempt from VAT, or will the standard rate apply?
Firm takes the leap
Solicitors at Thackray Williams swap work suits for jumpsuits to raise money for charity.
Barrister suspended over failure to comply with court order
Disciplinary tribunal ordered the lawyer be prevented from practising for 36 months.
In depth: Anti-money laundering reform - what changes do solicitors want?
As swingeing fines for non-compliance multiply, the government’s industrial strategy pledges ‘clearer and more proportionate’ anti-money laundering regulations for lawyers. So what needs to change?
Struck-off solicitor fails in bid to remain anonymous on appeal
Solicitor told court that ‘a struck-off solicitor is a social leper’, but had been 'advertising himself as a legal adviser'.
Hard yards pay off for job-seeker
Thomas Isaac vowed to keep visiting law firm offices in a spiralling radius to deliver his CV until he got a job.
Six new appeal judges as Lord Justice Birss appointed chancellor
Incoming cohort are all barrister silks.
Law Society announces death of former president
Society says Robert Bourns was respected for his kindness, thoughtfulness and dedication.
Eight found guilty in huge PI data conspiracy bust
ICO uncovers 'murky' network where data was passed on for potential personal injury claims.
Crown court backlog reaches record high of 77,000 cases
‘Only radical reform’ can help curtail the crisis, says Sarah Sackman KC MP.
Gallery: Lawyers mark Pride in Wales and Birmingham
Have you been celebrating Pride? Send in your photos to feature in our gallery!
‘Plain language’ definition could boost unbundling
Society is working with the SRA to agree a definition that will ensure the cost of insuring firms that offer unbundled services is not shouldered by all solicitors.
Firms must reveal profit and loss figures from 2027
Law practices will no longer be able to hide behind veil of abridged accounts.
Tribunal member’s pay claim dismissed over ‘worker’ status
Employment tribunal finds specialist tribunal member did not work under a contract but held office.
Outgoing bar watchdog savages Legal Services Board
Bar Standards Board chair says regulatory structure established by Legal Services Act 2007 is ‘failing’.
Lawyer's 'zeal' for litigation not enough to strike out contempt proceedings
Pogust Goodhead chief executive Tom Goodhead said on a podcast he wanted to be a mining giant’s ‘absolute worst nightmare’.
UK women being let down by justice system cuts
Report evaluating implementation of Istanbul Convention highlights concerns over legal aid provision.
Judge issues pre-trial legal aid plea after mother left alone
Judge worried vulnerable mother was not fully prepared for four-day contested final hearing.
Ex-Whitehall high-flier named as new SRA chief executive
Former top civil servant, a non-lawyer, will succeed Paul Philip later this year.
Three more firms hit with AML fines by SRA, as changes loom
One of the fines was over £23k, becoming one of dozens of firms to be hit with five-figure fines.
Insolvency litigation finance firm thrilled by record revenues
Manolete Partners celebrated numerous records in the last financial year as UK insolvencies continue to soar.
Defendants say Court of Appeal ruling ends 'culture of delay' in PI claims
Key ruling gives district judges power to lift stays and push stalled claims forward.
Bank's case against firm over 'reckless' claims allowed to proceed
Lender alleges that SRA-regulated firm handling claims through 'unqualified staff working under minimal supervision'.
Solicitor sentenced over fraudulent pothole damage claims
Sentencing judge said solicitor’s background in personal injury was an aggravating factor.
Private equity house buys stake in remote-only firm
Deal will pay for new hires, technology and possible acquisitions.
MoJ pledges £14m to repair city’s court building
Funding is part of nationwide £148.5m maintenance programme to help repair and modernise courts estate.
Top US firm admits breach of Russia sanctions rules
Steptoe International cited inadvertent human error for breaking regulations.
'NHS 111' service for justice system could save £72m
Law Society unveils recommendations from its pioneering 21st Century Justice project.
Fewer pupils would recommend a bar career
Mounting workloads, hefty debts and rising stress levels highlighted by Bar Council pupil survey.
Rugby player's liability for collision upheld by Court of Appeal
Tom Clark ran into Omar Elbanna at full speed while his opponent was without the ball, in breach of rugby’s laws.
Claimant cannot sue firm over report to SRA, rules tribunal
Trowers & Hamlins fought application to bring claim over email report to SRA.
Fixed fee Liverpool firm shut down by SRA intervention
Regulator intervenes into Bolton-Jones & Co, which offered clients an instant fixed fee conveyancing quote.
Study reveals generational difference in whistleblowing
Protect publishes recommendations to improve organisation’s whistleblowing procedures.
Solicitor whose firm was shut down given suspended sentence for harassment
Susilla Mercer, formerly of Runcorn-based firm Mercer Law, harassed her estranged husband and his new partner, a court heard.
Government pledges 'clearer' new AML rules for law firms
Industrial strategy brands legal sector a 'national asset' - but warns upskilling is urgently needed.
Breach of embargoed judgment a 'warning to all solicitors'
High Court judge accepts apologies after draft is forwarded on, but says a future court 'may not be so generous'.
Solicitor avoids dishonesty finding after altering cheque date
Practitioner with 'strong sense of loyalty' to clients wanted to complete outstanding work before leaving firm.
Top-50 outfit announces 5% staff bonus after bumper year
National firm aspires to be leading player in the upper mid-market by the end of the decade.
Not 'grooming' but rape: Casey review calls for law change
Baroness Casey’s review of so-called grooming gangs highlighted the ‘sex offenders go-to defence’, allowing them to escape a proportionate sentence. And ‘victim-blaming misogyny’ means cases go uninvestigated
ATE insurers seek to pass on £56m liabilities of failed claims
Trial due to begin later this year amid fallout from collapse of Pure Legal and High Street Solicitors.
In depth: Foreign lawyers in immigration limbo
The government’s immigration reforms envisage doubling the qualifying period for settlement in the UK, thereby throwing the future of thousands of registered foreign lawyers into disarray.
PI solicitor diverted client damages to wife-linked rehab company
West Yorkshire practitioner created false documents, purportedly to pay for physiotherapy and a psychologist’s assessment.
New diversity toolkit to help larger firms retain talent
Black, Asian and minority ethnic solicitors quitting larger firms for 'more inclusive' smaller firms and in-house departments.
SRA’s shock discovery: Small firms aren’t tech giants
Groundbreaking research confirms water is wet, sky is blue, and small law firms lack Google’s budget.
Consultant loses latest bid to return to legal profession
SDT rules that banning order must remain as applicant had not showed sufficient remorse or insight.
Sexual misconduct reports to SRA soar
Cases are at an all-time high – but most do not result in any action, the Gazette has learned.
Sentencing Council blocked from referring to race or ethnicity in guidance
Lord chancellor Shabana Mahmood says legislation will ensure defendants are treated fairly in court.
LAA cyber attack could push barristers into debt
Self-employed barristers still paying quarterly VAT bill despite facing significant disruption to income.
Tribunal blocks reporting of names in SLAPP case
Clients referred to in the case of Christopher Mark Hutchings must be anonymised to protect legal privilege, SDT rules.
Firm awarded £4.2m over botched claims that were ‘sure-fire winners’
Thousands of claims were either thrown out, abandoned or not even issued.
Cycling club cleared of liability over time trial crash
Case is believed to be the first High Court decision to rely on the Social Action, Responsibility and Heroism Act 2015.
‘Panicked’ employee faked TR1 signatures
Post completion assistant was dismissed after fabricating clients’ and lawyer’s signatures on TR1 form.
'Material information' property form paused, Law Society reveals
Work paused after National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team unexpectedly withdrew guidance.
ECHR must evolve, Mahmood tells CoE ministers
Public trust 'is beginning to erode as the application of rights feels out of step with common sense'.
Lawyers unsure on admissibility of overseas evidence
Scoping paper confirms need for Law Commission to review extradition, mutual legal assistance and criminal jurisdiction.
Trump sued by lawyers’ group over ‘relentless attacks’
Group claims 'relentless' executive orders aim to punish law firms for representing certain clients.
‘We can’t have a room of robots’: senior judges reveal thoughts on AI
Academics propose randomised controlled trial to measure effectiveness of technology.
Air India crash: Lawyers advise caution as payouts begin
Interim and immediate statutory payments already announced by airline.
Judge apologises for 16-month delay in care case
Recorder says listing delay should be ‘deplored’ and added to 14-year-old girl’s stress.
School must say how much it paid law firm in £500,000 claim
Pensby High School in Wirral had resorted to turning off its heating in a bid to save money, first-tier tribunal hears.
Gallery: Flaming June brings out the legal walkers
The biggest fundraising occasion of London’s legal year attracted a record turnout.
Fixed fee firms are doing work more cheaply, regulator reveals
Legal Services Board survey also points to surge in services being offered remotely.
Pro bono lawyer helped Windrush claimant secure £295,000
Landmark research reveals the value of legal representation and prompts fresh calls for claimants to receive legal aid.
Solicitors to pay wasted costs for claim brought against wrong defendants
Costs master says firm acted improperly in continuing asbestos exposure claims with no realistic prospect of success.
Overheated courtroom made trial unfair, litigant in person argues
Non-practising barrister fails in appeal against county court’s ruling in claim of breaches of the Equality Act and Human Rights Act.
‘Treat children as children’: Casey calls for rape law change
Baroness Casey’s review into so-called grooming gangs says a ‘nuance in the law’ is leading to exploitation of children.
London legal walk kicks off with 10k sprint
Three very swift teams of barristers, judges and solicitors run the route before 15,000 walkers hit the streets this afternoon.
In-house solicitors urged to record reasons for non-reporting to regulator
Regulator’s interest in non-financial misconduct raises new and difficult questions for in-house community.
Knights reveals dozens of redundancies from latest acquisition
Firm says that some staff whose jobs were put at risk at Birkett Long have been retained.
SRA hits another firm with £64,000 fine in AML blitz
No evidence of harm done but regulator says breaches lasted for almost six years.
'Figurehead' class representative to pay £3m costs
Amazon and Apple to receive interim costs following competition tribunal's rejection of proposed class representative.
Blow to credit hire operators in landmark costs ruling
Significant ruling impacts RTA credit hire sector as Anexo Group and others face liability under non-party cost orders.
Thomas walks the talk
Aspiring lawyer Thomas Isaac decided to go a little more traditional in his job hunt: turning up in person.
In depth: Bindmans claims 'industry first' with social justice fund
Bindmans will divert 10% of its business client fees to a social justice fund to support access to justice for vulnerable people. So how will it work – and could other firms follow suit?
Law Centres Network embarks on 'highly ambitious' data drive
Five-year programme designed to help law centres leverage data to fight injustice.
Court up in a blaze of colour
A technicolour of crafted quilts are on dispay at the Royal Courts of Justice.
Diversity champion for legal sector in King’s Honours list
Relatively small number of solicitors recognised in the latest awards.
High Court blow for private schools and parents challenging VAT on fees
Judges say parents have the option of not paying VAT by sending their children to state school.
In depth: Reeves spares justice – but no quick fix
The chancellor’s Spending Review pledged more cash for the criminal courts, the CPS and the probation service. Justice has been a ‘cinderella’ department for years, so is this finally changing?
SRA fines going unpaid, new figures suggest
Unpaid fines total over £1m, prompting regulatory specialist to call for discounts for prompt payment.
Solicitor advocates call for brand refresh
Dwindling numbers are making use of their higher rights to appear in court and their specialist association has been disbanded.
Law graduate bringing meritless claims against SRA ordered to stop
Prolific litigant lost most claims - but received ‘nuisance value payments’ from two law firms.
Funder to challenge Mastercard damages distribution plan
Application for judicial review says Competition Appeal Tribunal erred in law in approving £200m settlement.
AI will kill billable hour, says lawtech founder
Canadian entrepreneur also warns of relying on ‘dangerous liar’ generative tool for legal work.