Law firm “sacked staff member by WhatsApp”, tribunal finds – Legal Futures

‘A small law firm sacked its administrator by sending him a brief WhatsApp message – and then backdated his P45 to support an argument that he was actually fired earlier and so his claim was out of time, an employment tribunal has found.’

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Legal Futures, 22nd May 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Solicitors call for more full-time employment judges – Litigation Futures

‘Employment tribunals are being forced to rush in part-time judges in order to try to clear the growing backlog of cases waiting to be heard, a specialist law firm has claimed.’

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Litigation Futures, 15th May 2019

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

‘I was sworn at and told I was useless’: law’s problem with bullying at work – The Guardian

Posted May 16th, 2019 in barristers, bullying, law firms, legal profession, news, solicitors, statistics by sally

‘A recent survey has revealed experiences of aggressive behaviour and incivility from bosses and colleagues.’

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The Guardian, 15th May 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Exclusive: Pressured young solicitors “need courage to walk away” – Legal Futures

‘Young solicitors who find themselves in toxic work environments cannot “leave their professional ethical compass at home” and ultimately have to walk away, the president of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has said.’

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Legal Futures, 7th May 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Court throws out convicted client’s negligence claim against solicitors – Law Society’s Gazette

‘A convicted client has failed in a bid to make his former solicitors stump up the bill for his £450,000 fine imposed in the Crown court. In Day v Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP Her Honour Judge Deborah Taylor, sitting in the High Court, struck out the negligence claim by landowner Philip Day.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 7th May 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Grenfell Tower inquiry ‘failing to deliver’ as survivors and bereaved families ‘lose faith’, lawyers warn – The Independent

‘The Grenfell Tower inquiry is “failing to deliver” on promises it made to traumatised survivors and the families of victims, who have “lost faith” in the process, lawyers have warned.’

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The Independent, 6th May 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Law firms “willing to draw up NDAs” that breach SRA guidance – Legal Futures

‘Law firms are willing to draw up non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that clearly breach Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) guidance, according to the woman whose own NDA threw the spotlight on the issue.’

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Legla Futures, 2nd May 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Tribunal rejects law firm’s bid to strike out disability claim – Legal Futures

‘An employment tribunal has said it would be “wholly inappropriate” to strike out a disability discrimination claim against a law firm from a legal secretary suffering from depression.’

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Legal Futures, 2nd May 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Leading firm held liable for asbestos case blunder – Legal Futures

‘The High Court has ordered Cardiff-based Hugh James to pay six-figure damages to the family of an asbestos victim for professional negligence in abandoning their personal injury claim.’

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Legal Futures, 1st May 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Claim over solicitors’ negligence fails to establish loss of chance – Legal Futures

‘A married couple has largely failed in a claim of negligence against a firm of solicitors which had admitted that it failed to advise properly on a separate negligence case against another law firm.’

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Legal Futures, 29th April 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Three convicted for providing unregulated legal advice – Legal Futures

‘Owners of a business that falsely claimed it could supervise immigration law firms and made millions of pounds as a result, along with a director of one of those franchises, have been convicted at the Old Bailey.’

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Legal Futures, 26th April 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Firms “putting profit ahead of lawyers’ mental health” – Legal Futures

Posted April 24th, 2019 in codes of practice, duty of care, law firms, mental health, news, solicitors by sally

‘The cultures of some law firms and other legal workplaces mean that well-being is “often not a concern” while they chase increased profits, researchers have found.’

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Legal Futures, 23rd April 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Solicitor convicted of subletting council home – Legal Futures

‘A solicitor’s conviction for illegally subletting his council flat has been upheld after he lost his appeal against a suspended jail sentence.’

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Legal Futures, 12th April 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Ched Evans reaches settlement with lawyers over rape case – BBC News

Posted April 11th, 2019 in compensation, law firms, legal representation, news, rape, retrials by sally

‘Ched Evans has reached an out-of-court settlement with his original defence team over their handling of the case where he was found guilty of rape.’

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BBC News, 10th April 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Law firm insolvencies hit new high amid ‘loan stacking’ warning – Legal Futures

Posted April 10th, 2019 in debts, insolvency, law firms, loans, news, statistics by sally

‘The number of insolvencies among solicitors’ firms reached a new high last year, Insolvency Service figures have shown, and a funder has warned that the practice of ‘loan stacking’ will only make things worse.’

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Legal Futures, 10th April 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Lawyer who warned trainees never to wear brown shoes with blue suits under fire – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 9th, 2019 in diversity, law firms, legal profession, news by sally

‘The ‘no brown in town’ adage has been the subject of scorn, sneers and scandal in City pubs for more than 100 years. Yet despite an increasing awareness of social mobility and social taboos, one top city law firm appears to have shunned such progress.’

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Daily Telegraph, 8th April 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Victim of senior partner’s f-word tirades awarded £47,000 – Legal Futures

‘A paralegal subjected to f-word tirades by the senior partner of a London law firm has been awarded £47,000 by an employment tribunal – less than 5% of the value of her claim.’

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Legal Futures, 5th April 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Negligence claim over football club chairman’s divorce to proceed – Legal Futures

Posted April 5th, 2019 in divorce, drafting, law firms, negligence, news, substitution by tracey

‘A judge was wrong to stop a case against a law firm that had incorporated since potentially negligent advice was given when the wrong entity was named in the claim, the High Court has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 5th April 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Tesco Law at last? SRA rules could herald “new breed of MDP” – Legal Futures

‘The new rulebook for solicitors may lead to a “new breed” of multi-disciplinary practices (MDPs) emerging that integrate legal services with a very wide range of services for individuals, one of its architects has predicted.’

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Legal Futures, 3rd April 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

High Court strikes out City firm’s ‘warehoused’ claim – Litigation Futures

Posted March 28th, 2019 in abuse of process, delay, law firms, news, striking out by sally

‘The High Court has struck out a claim by City firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BLCP) for abuse of process on the grounds of ‘warehousing’.’

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Litigation Futures, 27th March 2019

Source: www.litigationfutures.com