In depth: Another accumulator firm goes under - reviving tough questions for the SRA
Monday’s demise of PM Law Group left hundreds jobless and clients in limbo. The SRA has now intervened, as attention once again turns to the risks posed by firms which expand rapidly through acquisition.
PM Law did report closure to SRA
Concerns were raised over why the regulator took two days to intervene.
SRA's new boss pledges 'empathy' and transformation
In her first interview, Sarah Rapson says she would like the regulator to be 'more human', but accepts she has a turnaround job to do.
Korean company faces £91m bill for 'exceptionally serious' disclosure failures
Action brought by UK Hydrographic Office over breaches of its maritime data licences.
Administrative failures create 'inaccessible justice' for LiPs
Research from Blind Justice, a community interest company, found 92% of the cases it analysed had missing or unprocessed documents.
Magistrate’s call to radio show was misconduct
Office-holder identified his role and ‘entered a public debate on a government policy proposal’, JCIO says.
Law centres latest interveners in Mazur to halt access to justice threat
Representative body says High Court ruling has potentially dire consequences for non-commercial organisations.
Master of rolls predicts surge in AI-generated claims
AI will decide minor legal disputes ‘faster and cheaper’ than judges, says Sir Geoffrey Vos.
Top New York lawyer steps down over Epstein contacts
Paul Weiss chairman announces resignation from his leadership role at Wall Street firm.
Probate solicitor paid his £77,000 tax bill with client funds
Practitioner abused his position of authority over three years with ‘deliberate and calculated’ misconduct.
Stranded PM Law clients share their stories on Facebook
More than 400 people - some on the verge of completing a house purchase - join support group for clients affected by group’s shock closure.
Firm numbers fall - but market continues to grow
Long-running annual survey finds 'some limited signs of improvement' in personal injury/medical negligence sector.
SRA intervenes into PM Law group to protect client interests
Regulator takes action two days after clients and staff were shut out of group firms.
Journalist wins right to expert reports in family cases
‘Without transparency the Family Court cannot be fully accountable for the decisions its judges make,’ says judge.
FCA and SRA warn claims firms on excessive exit charges
Joint statement says fees for terminating retainer must be clearly stated up front.
'Stalking victim' wanted a legal career, solicitor tells judge
Stratford magistrates’ court hears allegation of physical encounter in lifts of Royal Courts of Justice.
‘Clear your desk and go’: The overnight closure of PM Law
Clients cast adrift after staff were locked out of IT systems and told to put up the ‘closed’ signs. For now, confusion reigns.
Leveson review: 135 new recommendations to fix courts crisis
Lord chancellor David Lammy says he is urgently considering Sir Brian Leveson's recommendations.
Global firm wins race case - despite 'gauche and inept' rejection emails
Employment judge says Clyde & Co should 'learn some important lessons' about recruitment processes.
Firm fined £68,000 for processing CA$23m through client account
SRA found there was no proper connection between legal services provided and money passed through client account.
Final instalment of Leveson review out tomorrow, Lammy reveals
Part two of Leveson review will make recommendations on how to improve efficiency in the Crown court.
US competition watchdog warns 42 firms over DEI scheme
'Sharing sensitive information about pay and benefits, can violate the antitrust laws,' Federal Trade Commission says.
Formal advice for district judge over delays
Judicial Conduct Investigations Office says judgment delays of ‘just under’ 11 months and 10 months amounted to misconduct.
Staff in despair as 20-practice network shuts suddenly
Reports indicate that Yorkshire and Cumbria outfit PM Law has ‘not closed in the manner we would expect’, SRA says.
Memory lane
Bitcoin technology, foreign lawyer admissions and satire at the bar: a stroll down Gazette memory lane.
Client account 'stealth tax' will hit clients, say lawyers
Government warned that proposed levy on interest payments could put firms doing legal aid work out of business.
SRA must pay Carter-Ruck partner costs in failed 'SLAPP' case
Practitioner subject to ‘legally flawed’ SRA proceedings is claiming around £1 million from regulator.
Taylor Wessing's highest earner nets £200,000 a week
Top-paid LLP member has been paid £23.6m in the last three years, newly filed accounts show.
Client's emails accusing firm of fraud were defamatory
Client sent six emails in a month in response to an invoice for £34,500 from London firm.
Solicitor appeals 'disproportionate' SDT sanction
Suspended practitioner tells court there was no clear link between his conduct and tribunal's finding of breach of integrity.
Northern giant targets London
Brabners embarks on next phase of expansion as revenues surpass £60m.
Partners approve transatlantic merger
Winston & Strawn and Taylor Wessing will combine officially as Winston Taylor in May.
'You were lucky!'
Topic of City solicitors’ chargeable hours kicks off a debate in the pages of The Times.
In depth: The SQE at four - what have we learned?
The SQE has faced fierce criticism since its advent in 2021. This week, assessment provider Kaplan published data addressing issues such as ethnicity attainment. But does the data tell the whole truth?
Dear Deirdre drops in
Agony aunt Deirdre Sanders kicks off Family Mediation Week with an online webinar for separating and divorced parents.
What a carve up
Courts minister Sarah Sackman MP donned the traditional hard hat and Hi-Vis vest this week for a visit to Legal London’s most impressive building site.
UK Finance drops £50 fee for Mortgage Lenders' Handbook
Law Society commends banking trade body for reacting swiftly to the strength of opposition over annual charge.
Reform of inflated clinical negligence damages 'long overdue', say MPs
Public Accounts Committee says government cannot continue to ignore escalating costs of clinical negligence.
CCRC refers former City trader convictions to Court of Appeal
After the Supreme Court quashed the convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, commission says ‘jury misdirection and legal errors have undermined the safety of all the [rate-rigging] convictions’.
In depth: PM takes to TikTok to announce leasehold shake-up
The PM took to TikTok to trumpet a shake-up of the ‘outdated’ leasehold system. Conveyancers welcome a £250 ground rent cap, but plans to make commonhold the default tenure present challenges.
SQE cohort more diverse than working-age population, progress report finds
Study by Solicitors Regulation Authority finds Solicitors Qualifying Examination has been more successful than many of its critics claim.
Regulator eases practising rights rules amid post-Mazur delays
Practising rights entry rules relaxed as more groups join upcoming Court of Appeal proceedings.
Solicitor 'motivated by resentment' banned for deceiving friend
Property specialist had falsely messaged to say that sale of jointly owned property had not yet been completed.
Court makes triple whammy ruling on key fixed costs disputes
Costs judge rules on the scope, timing and provisions of fixed recoverable costs regime.
Mail fail: SDT dismisses allegation against third immigration sting solicitor
Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal finds allegations not proved in latest prosecution setback for SRA.
Pre-Mazur advice 'not always articulated with sufficient precision', LSB concludes
Super-regulator says professional bodies should have been working together to arrive at a shared position.
Court upholds £50,000 ombudsman award to complaining clients
Judge says solicitor was not entitled to court-style disclosure in the ombudsman process.
Conveyancers outraged by £50 fee to access Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook
Solicitors acting for lenders in residential property transactions will have to pay £50 plus VAT from June to access handbook.
Claims firm fined £120,000 for sending millions of unsolicited texts
Barrage of text messages prompted 46,000 complaints from recipients.
Over a third of magistrates' hearings delayed or adjourned, report finds
More than 2,300 hearings in various London courts were observed by volunteer ‘courtwatchers’ over a five-month period.
Extending criminal contempt to foreign proceedings would open floodgates, BHP warns
Judgment reserved by the lady chief justice, Lord Justice Popplewell and Lord Justice Phillips in latest Mariana dam collapse litigation.
Call for anti-SLAPP law following SRA tribunal failures
Coalition urges prime minister to include provisions against abusive litigation in the next King’s speech.
High volume claims: SRA investigates 72 firms
Warning notice sets out what regulator expects firms to be telling no win, no fee clients.
Home ownership shake-up 'will have huge ramifications'
Draft bill would cap ground rents, end forfeiture and make it easier for leaseholders to switch to commonhold.
Claimant's bid 'to defer the inevitable' in legal fees fails in court
A former client accused by a law firm of a cynical attempt to get out of paying legal bills has lost his attempted High Court challenge.
Former coroner struck off for downplaying rape allegation
Criminal allegations were not pursued but tribunal finds phone call to explain them was dishonest.
Victims' right-to-review scheme expands
Under the scheme, complainants can ask for an independent review before a final decision on dropping a case is made.
Defence solicitor jailed for sexually abusing 13-year-old girls
Police say Suleman Baig groomed two girls, offering them up to £100 for explicit photographs.
Missed promotions and stranded jobseekers: practitioners sitting in post-Mazur limbo
Practitioners tell the Gazette of feeling humiliated and demoralised by their diminished status - and how it is damaging their careers.
Court of Appeal criticises 'staggering' £44m costs in Nigeria arbitration row
Lord Justice Males suggests 'sampling' approach to assess fraction of the 95,000 items claimed for in long-running litigation.
Two out of three firms approached by private equity investors
Nearly a quarter of mid-sized firms are actively considering a share offering, research suggests.
SRA hit with £50,000 costs order after botched prosecution
Tribunal says SRA investigator was ‘evasive’ and ‘combative’ at times during cross-examination.
In depth: Iranian lawyers vulnerable amid 'campaign of terror'
A shocking new report lays bare the ‘machinery of repression’ and systemic persecution that Iranian lawyers face, but what can the international legal community realistically do?
Nightingale era over, says Sackman as four sites go permanent
Former court buildings in Fleetwood, Telford, Chichester and Cirencester – used as Nightingale Courts since the pandemic - will now become permanent fixtures.
Action needed to save City, says lobby group
UK cannot afford to be complacent amid falling output and productivity and fundamental global changes.
Third solicitor faces SDT over Mail sting
Immigration practitioner denies telling undercover reporter that marriage would help asylum claim.
In-house lawyers say whistleblowing guidance is 'unworkable'
Advice issued last October 'falls short in a number of areas and risks exacerbating current problems'.
LAA cyber attack: MPs demand answers on compensation
Concerns were raised about clarity and adequacy of emergency funding arrangements in submissions to justice committee's access to justice inquiry.
In depth: SRA on the ropes over alleged SLAPPs after third defeat
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is licking its wounds over three failed SLAPP prosecutions. Yet amid possible appeals and ‘eye-watering’ costs, the case for new legislation has gained momentum.
'Don’t laugh, he’s better than you'
I heard some great (and lesser) solicitor advocates in magistrates’ courts.
'Impecunious' former Fieldfisher clients must pay £1.5m in fees
International firm was instructed by siblings to provide legal services on a contentious probate claim over an eight-month period.
Magistrate 'aggressively criticised' judicial training course
Judicial Conduct Investigations Office says the office-holder’s behaviour amounted to misconduct.
MBE for legal aid royalty
The Solicitors’ Charity trustee Audrey Ludwig collects her MBE from Princess Anne at Windsor Castle.
High Court splits ex-postmaster Castleton’s fraud claim
Former sub-postmaster Lee Castleton alleges that 2019 group settlement was agreed based on ‘untrue’ statements.
'Hotshot' hair and the spare
Press photographers camped outside the side entrance to the Royal Courts of Justice this week, to catch a glimpse of Prince Harry.
No solicitors in latest annual silk round
Law Society says it is ‘extremely disappointed’ with latest KC list.
Law lecturer brings action against student over 'sex-for-marks' defamation
Case will proceed to trial following High Court ruling on meaning of email to university staff.
Day of the Endangered Lawyer focuses on United States
'Novel convergence of pressures' on US legal profession 'merits sustained scrutiny,' says coalition.
Wheelchair user inspired by his own case to pursue law career
Sammy Rehman told his lawyers as a child he wanted to follow them into the legal profession.
Treasury urged to rethink on tax adviser registration
Council for Licensed Conveyancers says tightly regulated members are not permitted to give tax advice.
Exhibition showcases frontline lawyers
'On the Front Line for Justice', in the Law Society library, is open until 20 March.
Motor injury claims fall to lowest level on record
Latest Compensation Recovery Unit figures suggest any notion of a compensation culture is increasingly outdated.
Judicial diversity strategy targets High Court and Court of Appeal
Action plan acknowledges progress made to improve diversity not reflected in senior judiciary.
Former minister joins bar as conduct commissioner
New role was one of Baroness Harman’s recommendations in her independent review of bullying, harassment and sexual harassment.
Legal executives in limbo amid authorisation delays
CILEx Regulation says process of obtaining practising rights takes nine weeks on average - practitioners disagree.
Swift courts 'will save only 2% of Crown court time'
Institute for Government analysis casts doubt on time estimates put forward by ministers to justify curbing jury trials.
Strike-off for failing to verify known client's ID in person
Meeting a client in person is ‘fundamental’ to certification process, Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal rules.
Trainee solicitors 'invisible' as most omitted from big firms' websites
Marketing agency says it is disheartening for hard-working trainees to not be publicly acknowledged.
Brooklyn Beckham bombshell takes a legal turn
Have David and Victoria instructed solicitors over their estranged son? Er, no.
Sentencing remarks offered free to victims
Lord chancellor says free access to judges' sentencing remarks 'will embolden victims to look back on their bravery’.