Contribution Claims and the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 2010 Riedweg v HCC and others [2024] EWHC 2805 (Ch) – Hailsham Chambers

‘When an insurer is sued by a claimant under the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 2010, can that insurer bring a contribution claim against another person whom, the insurer claims, is also liable to the claimant for the same loss as was caused by the insurer’s insured? That was the question for the Court in Riedweg v HCC, the first reported decision on this important point.’

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Hailsham Chambers, 13th November 2024

Source: www.hailshamchambers.com

Solicitors over-reliant on their COLPs, says SRA – Legal Futures

‘Too many solicitors only check their professional obligations when things go wrong and are over-reliant on their firm’s compliance officer for legal practice (COLP) to keep on top of regulatory issues, according to Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) research.’

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Legal Futures, 16th December 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Avoiding Procedural Pitfalls in Professional Negligence Claims – Gatehouse Chambers

‘Professional negligence claims are somewhat more susceptible to the many procedural pitfalls in civil litigation. Passage of time, lengthy negotiations before issue, insolvency.’

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Gatehouse Chambers, 26th November 2024

Source: gatehouselaw.co.uk

Medico-legal market consolidating and growing “more strongly” – Legal Futures

‘The value of the medico-legal market grew by 4% in 2024, double the growth rate of the previous year, researchers have estimated.’

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Legal Futures, 12th December 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Barrister apprenticeships to go live next year – Legal Futures

‘Barrister apprenticeships are set to become a reality after their approval by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) and Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE).’

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Legal Futures, 10th December 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

AI “could amplify gender biases in legal profession” – Legal Futures

‘Increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) could “perpetuate or even amplify existing gender biases in the legal profession”, new research has warned.’

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Legal Futures, 4th December 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

High Court overturns SRA’s decision to intervene in law firm – Legal Futures

Posted November 28th, 2024 in fraud, law firms, news, solicitors, Solicitors Regulation Authority by sally

‘The High Court has taken the almost unprecedented step of withdrawing a notice of intervention into a law firm issued by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).’

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Legal Futures, 28th November 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Ethical clashes can cause young lawyers health problems – Legal Futures

Posted November 26th, 2024 in health, law firms, legal profession, news, public interest by tracey

‘Having a professional identity as a young lawyer that does not align with the values of your law firm could turn “wellbeing issues into serious health problems”, a leading legal academic has warned.’

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Legal Futures, 26th November 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Law firm’s poor work did not undermine rapist’s conviction – Legal Futures

‘The Court of Appeal has upheld the safety of a man’s conviction for rape despite the Legal Ombudsman criticising his solicitors’ poor conduct of the case.’

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Legal Futures, 25th November 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Judge blasts City firm’s “disgraceful” and “improper” conduct – Legal Futures

Posted November 25th, 2024 in costs, fees, fraud, insolvency, law firms, misrepresentation, negligence, news, solicitors, winding up by tracey

‘A judge has condemned the London arm of a US law firm for sending a “disgraceful” letter to a competitor of one of its clients.’

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Legal Futures, 25th November 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Class action firms eye million claims against Jaguar Land Rover – Legal Futures

Posted November 20th, 2024 in class actions, compensation, law firms, news by tracey

‘Two leading class action law firms have obtained a group litigation order (GLO) to open up a new front against a motor manufacturer for something other than emissions defeat devices.’

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Legal Futures, 20th November 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Tribunal halves law firm’s fees on HS2 house sale – Legal Futures

Posted November 19th, 2024 in compulsory purchase, fees, law firms, legal advice, news, railways by tracey

‘A tribunal has more than halved the fees charged by a leading law firm for advice on the forced sale of a property affected by HS2.’

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Legal Futures, 19th November 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Disabled paralegal’s £41k damages over unfair law firm dismissal – Legal Futures

‘A paralegal has been awarded £41,000 in damages against a law firm that unfairly dismissed and discriminated against her because she could not work full-time due to disability.’

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Legal Futures, 11th November 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

High Court throws out complaint over solicitor’s ‘settle’ advice – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 11th, 2024 in bankruptcy, law firms, negligence, news, solicitors, trustees in bankruptcy by tracey

‘A solicitor accused of negligence by clients who changed their minds over a mediation settlement in fact acted competently, the High Court has ruled in a long-running litigation over a businessman’s bankruptcy. Even if negligence had been shown, the failure to show it caused any loss would have been fatal to the claim, His Honour Judge Paul Matthews ruled in Sandra Blower v GH Canfields LLP.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 8th November 2024

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Small law firms embracing AI as they move away from hourly billing – Legal Futures

‘Small law firms have embraced artificial intelligence (AI), with document drafting or automation the most popular application, according to new research.’

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Legal Futures, 7th November 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Firm loses appeal against directors who quit to run their own business – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 8th, 2024 in appeals, fiduciary duty, law firms, news, solicitors by tracey

‘A Liverpool firm has lost its legal fight against two former directors who left to form their own business. The Court of Appeal ruled this week that CEL Solicitors had no basis for alleging that Thomas Blanchfield and Mark Montaldo had breached their fiduciary duty before resigning in 2023.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 6th November 2024

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

City firm unfairly dismissed associate over party misconduct claims – Legal Futures

‘A leading City law firm unfairly dismissed a senior associate for sexual misconduct after a defective investigation and disciplinary process, an employment tribunal has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 7th November 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Firm penalised £20,000 by SRA for 2022 compliance failings – Law Society’s Gazette

‘A small firm which failed to have in place a compliance officer for three years and missed transparency requirements two years ago has been fined more than £20,000.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 7th November 2024

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Unapologetic SRA dismisses Axiom Ince report as “opinion” – Legal Futures

‘The leaders of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) yesterday refused to apologise to the profession about the Axiom Ince collapse as they dismissed the report criticising its actions as just opinion.’

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BBC news, 6th November 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Law firms treating AML training as “tick-box exercise” – Legal Futures

‘Many law firms treat anti-money laundering (AML) training as a “tick-box exercise”, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has found.’

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Legal Futures, 5th November 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk