All articles by Rachel Rothwell – Page 23
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News
Young women solicitors far outnumber men
Women solicitors significantly outnumber men at the younger end of the profession, according to Law Society research published today. If current trends continue, the profession could comprise more women than men within the next ten years. The Society’s annual statistical report shows ...
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Ombudsman under fire over ‘cautious’ approach to complaints publishing
The Legal Ombudsman was accused of having fallen for ‘spurious objections from the legal profession’ today as it revealed its plans for a ‘staged approach’ to publishing information about complaints against law firms. In the first part of a three-stage approach, LeO has immediately begun ...
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Law Society warns LSB over 'micro-management'
The Legal Services Board must resist the urge to ‘micro-manage’ aspects of legal regulation, and should reduce its budget rather than extending its role to become an ‘economic regulator’, the Law Society has warned. Responding to the LSB’s draft business plan, Chancery Lane also cautioned that ...
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Aptitude tests would be a positive step for BPTC and LPC students
Young people worried about the current oversupply of Legal Practice Course graduates will no doubt be looking with interest at how the bar’s regulator is seeking to address a similar issue in its own branch of the profession. Earlier today, the Bar Standards Board announced a new timetable for its ...
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Consumers want clarity over law firm charges
Consumers want to see charges that are easy to understand, and a ‘solicitor who remembers their name’ when they use a law firm, according to research commissioned by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. A study based on interviews with 40 recent purchasers of legal services found that ...
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Hudson issues warning on ABS crime risk
The Solicitors Regulation Authority must ensure that solicitors do not end up picking up the bill for inappropriate claims on the compensation fund made by alternative business structures, the Law Society chief executive said this week. Desmond Hudson (pictured) also warned that the SRA’s proposed rules ...
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‘More needs to be done’ to address inequality in the profession
The Law Society is ‘making strides’ to promote equality and equal practice in the legal profession, Law Society president Linda Lee said today as the Society marks the global centenary of International Women’s Day. Lee, who will host a roundtable discussion on women in the ...
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Firms make ‘initial contact’ with external investors
More than two-thirds of law firms would be ‘comfortable’ securing funding from an external investor when Alternative Business Structures are introduced in October, and 30% have already made initial contact with potential investors, according to research released today. A survey of 200 solicitors carried out for ...
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News
Neuberger warns against mediation and defends legal aid and Jackson
The Master of the Rolls warned against mediation being used as a replacement for the courts, defended the cost of legal aid, and voiced strong support for Lord Justice Jackson’s civil justice reforms in a speech earlier this week. Giving the annual Bentham Lecture, Lord Neuberger ...
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Law firms must step into the breach if LPC loans dry up
NatWest has recently decided that it will withdraw its Professional Trainee Loan scheme for students studying the Legal Practice Course and the bar’s equivalent course. It declined to say exactly why it had taken the decision to no longer offer the product to new customers, ...
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Legal recruitment picks up for in-house and banking
The ‘war for talent’ is hotting up in the in-house sector, with companies increasingly entering into a bidding war for candidates, according to recruitment firm Badenoch & Clark. The recruiter’s executive director Lynne Hardman said that recruitment is also picking up in the banking sector and ...
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The Legal Services Board’s glowing view of ABSs is not realistic
Reading through the Legal Services Board’s draft business plan for 2011/12, I was stuck by the glowing vision it presented of the post-alternative business structure world. It seemed to me to be the type of gushing enthusiasm that you would expect from the government department ...
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Study to examine oversupply of LPC graduates
An in-depth study into education and training within the profession will address the current ‘mismatch’ between the number of Legal Practice Course graduates and training contracts, and will assess the role of paralegals, the Legal Services Board has said.
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News
Consumers back 'name and shame' complaints policy
Consumers are generally in favour of ‘naming and shaming’ law firms that are subject to complaints, but would only expect information to be published when a firm has had three complaints upheld against it in 12 months, according to research released today. The findings of a ...
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News
APIL chief urges government to give RTA portal a chance
The road traffic accident claims portal should be ‘given a chance’ before the government rushes to implement the Jackson civil justice reforms, the president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers warned last week. Muiris Lyons said that the RTA claims process, which was implemented on ...
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Rise in legal disputes between commercial landlords and tenants
The economic downturn has led to a surge in landlord and tenants disputes, court figures have shown. Figures obtained by legal publishers Sweet & Maxwell indicated that the number of legal disputes between commercial property landlords and tenants reaching the High Court in London jumped 43% ...
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Jackson reforms fail to account for RTA progress
The road traffic accident claims portal should be ‘given a chance’ before the government becomes distracted from the ‘bigger picture' by rushing to implement the Jackson reforms, the president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers warned last week. Muiris Lyons told an audience at APIL’s ...
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News
Pro bono figures are a credit to the profession
Last week’s report by the Law Society on pro bono activity by solicitors was a real credit to the profession. The study showed that private practice lawyers performed a whopping £475m of pro bono work in 2009/10, up 19% on the previous year. ...
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Research highlights gender differences in legal profession
An in-depth study by the Law Society’s strategic research unit has revealed a picture of a profession in which there is a high level of disparity between the sexes; a tendency to remain in the same job; and a high value placed on flexible working. The ...
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Legal services comparison website launched
The latest legal services comparison website to enter the market was launched by a Hertfordshire solicitor last week. Michael Welsh has launched fixed costs comparison site comparelegalcosts.com, which offers consumers a choice of three firms based on their postcode.