All articles by John Hyde – Page 343
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News
Law firms ‘are their own competitors’
Law firms lose almost half of potential new clients by mishandling telephone enquiries and most show ‘zero’ sensitivity to a client’s needs, a ‘secret-shopping’ exercise has found. Some 33% of calls to firms were disconnected before they reached a legal adviser and 44% of those which ...
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Society in new deal on ARP finance
The Law Society has offered to share equally with insurers up to £60m in liability to cover the cost of the assigned risks pool (ARP).
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Telecoms giant seeks to become an ABS
Telecoms giant BT is planning a major incursion into the legal services market after applying to become an alternative business structure, the Gazette can reveal. BT Claims, a wholly owned subsidiary, applied last week to the Solicitors Regulation Authority for a licence to become an ABS. ...
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PM’s ‘summit’ on whiplash excludes legal profession
Prime Minister David Cameron has been accused of sidelining the legal profession in talks about dealing with whiplash cases. Cameron met with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and leading insurance firms on Tuesday for a much-publicised ‘summit’ over the rising cost of car insurance. ...
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Referral fee ban will trigger PI buyouts
Personal injury firms will become takeover targets as claims managers and brokers prepare for the referral fee ban, according to a report published today by Deloitte. The business advisory firm predicted that those with the most to lose from a ban will use the new rules ...
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If mediation can cure the system, why is it still voluntary?
Imagine taking a mediator out for dinner. They’d sit there weighing up every option, hearing the waiter argue the merits of the salmon and the steak, before deciding to have a little of both (and possibly doubling the bill). I’d be on my second bottle before ...
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County court shake-up plans dubbed a ‘missed opportunity’
The government has come under fire from all sides of the civil litigation spectrum over its plans to reform the county court system. The Ministry of Justice last week confirmed plans to raise the limit of small claims through the county court system to £10,000 and ...
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News
PC renewal deadline extended as SRA struggles
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has extended the deadline for practising certificate renewal to the end of February for all solicitors. The first renewals were due to be completed by Monday but delays caused by the new online mySRA system meant many solicitors had not been able ...
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News
Deadline looms for online PC renewal
More than one-third of solicitors had yet to start renewing their practising certificates online through the mySRA website by Tuesday of this week, the Solicitors Regulation Authority said. The deadline for the first batch of registrations is Monday (13 February).
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News
Peers pillory third-party code
Justice secretary Kenneth Clarke may reconsider the case for statutory regulation of third-party litigation funding amid claims that a voluntary code has ‘manifest weaknesses’. The government, which has so far favoured self-regulation for external litigation funders, hinted at the change when it came under pressure for ...
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News
Clarke raises small claims limit in county court
The limit on small claims in the county court is to be doubled to £10,000 as part of government measures to speed up civil litigation. Justice secretary Kenneth Clarke today set out plans to divert up to 80,000 more cases to a small claims mediation process that can be carried ...
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News
DAS back in the black
Legal expenses insurer DAS has reported a dramatic turnaround in financial performance during 2011. The UK group posted a pre-tax profit of £9.74m last year compared with a £470,000 loss in 2010, when the company was hit by increasing claims frequencies and costs. Turnover rose from ...
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News
Joey Barton is no martyr, he’s a danger to justice
Is Joey Barton a media star or a footballer? The saddest indictment of the QPR midfielder’s career to date is that to many he is renowned more for his Twitter feed than his sporting abilities. Barton has talent on the field, though perhaps not as great ...
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News
Jackson ‘Plan B’ splits claimant lobby
Deep divisions surfaced in the personal injury claimant lobby this week after the proposal of a compromise deal on the Jackson reforms. Leaders of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers said they are now prepared to drop blanket opposition to Jackson’s plans to switch the burden ...
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News
Call for regulation of legal comparison sites
Comparison websites should commit to a set of voluntary standards to ensure legal service consumers are protected, according to a new report. The Legal Services Consumer Panel today says the websites could help to improve access to legal advice and stimulate greater competition on price and ...
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Private equity investor takes £200m stake in Parabis
Private equity investor Duke Street today confirmed an investment of up to £200m in personal injury umbrella firm Parabis Group in the latest City move into the legal sector. The legal and claims management company, which trades under the names of Plexus Law (defendant firm) ...
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News
Fix costs to save the planet, says Jackson
Lord Justice Jackson has recommended a fixed costs regime to ensure the government fulfils its duty in environmental judicial review cases. The Ministry of Justice launched a consultation last year to ask how to comply with the UK’s international obligations as part of the UN Aarhus ...
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News
City firm guilty of discrimination, appeal rules
An employment appeal tribunal has ruled that City firm Bivonas discriminated against one of its lawyers on the basis of sexual orientation. Lee Bennett’s discrimination claim focused on a memo from one of the firm’s partners which falsely implied that he instructed only gay barristers and ...
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News
Chancery Lane appoints former No 10 adviser as corporate affairs chief
The Law Society has appointed a former adviser to the prime minister to the new role of chief of corporate affairs. Dr Patricia Greer will have responsibility for policy, communications and engaging with solicitors, reporting to chief executive Desmond Hudson. Greer will join in March from ...
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SRA sorry for online delays
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has apologised for further delays to online renewals of practising certificates as it starts to clear a backlog of applications. The SRA’s new mySRA system, which replaces paper forms and cheques, has been the subject of widespread criticism in the profession.