Couple stung by £89 storage fee after spending £4,500 on wills – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted September 8th, 2023 in fees, news, solicitors, wills by sally

‘A couple were told they would have to pay an annual £49 storage fee after spending £4,500 on their wills – which then increased to £89 a year, a report on the impact of unqualified advisers in the estate planning sector has revealed.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 7th September 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Law Society and SRA win approval for 11.5% jump in cost of practising – Legal Futures

Posted September 7th, 2023 in budgets, fees, law firms, news, solicitors, Solicitors Regulation Authority by sally

‘Individual solicitors and their firms will be paying an extra £13.2m to be regulated and represented in the coming year, the Legal Services Board (LSB) has confirmed.’

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Legal Futures, 7th September 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Law firm culture key to ethical practice, says Law Society president – Legal Futures

Posted September 6th, 2023 in codes of practice, law firms, Law Society, news, solicitors by sally

‘Law firm cultures where solicitors are able to admit and learn from mistakes are central to ensuring adherence to professional ethics, the president of the Law Society said yesterday.’

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Legal Futures, 6th September 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

SRA told to pay solicitor £75k in costs for failed prosecution – Legal Futures

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has been slapped with a £75,000 costs order after making an “essential mistake of law” in a failed prosecution of a solicitor.’

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Legal Futures, 31st August 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

APIL issues JR over shortcomings in new fixed costs rules – Legal Futures

‘The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) has issued judicial review (JR) proceedings challenging aspects of the new rules to extend fixed recoverable costs.’

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Legal Futures, 24th August 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 A New Front in Solicitor-Client Assessments? – Hailsham Chambers

Posted August 23rd, 2023 in chambers articles, consumer protection, costs, EC law, fees, news, solicitors by sally

‘Surprisingly, the latest development in solicitor-client costs disputes has not come from the domestic courts, but from the European Court of Justice (ECJ). It has the potential to open up a new line of attack in Solicitors Act detailed assessments if the courts decide to apply it.’

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Hailsham Chambers, 3rd July 2023

Source: www.hailshamchambers.com

Relief for claimant firms as appeal judges block costs challenge – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted August 11th, 2023 in appeals, compensation, costs, fees, law firms, news, solicitors by sally

‘A landmark Court of Appeal costs ruling in favour of claimant solicitors cannot be challenged in the Supreme Court, appeal judges have ruled.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 10th August 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Taskforce to pursue lawyers who ‘coach’ clients to lie on UK asylum applications – The Guardian

‘Lawyers who “coach” people to lie in their asylum applications will be targeted as part of a new government-led panel tasked with pursuing more prosecutions.’

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The Guardian, 8th August 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Law firms risk claims without safeguards for generative AI – Legal Futures

Posted August 7th, 2023 in artificial intelligence, law firms, negligence, news, solicitors by sally

‘Law firms must either introduce “safeguards that include human oversight” to authenticate AI-generated content or “expect an increased exposure” to negligence claims, a leading law firm has warned.’

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Legal Futures, 7th August 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

How not to talk about capacity and mental illness – Doughty Street Chambers

‘A recent High Court appeal – concerning an application made by a litigation friend to be discharged from her position – contains some useful observations on inappropriate submissions and language used by lawyers in cases raising issues of mental illness and capacity.’

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Doughty Street Chambers, 19th July 2023

Source: insights.doughtystreet.co.uk

Solicitors “should get empathy training”, LSB research suggests – Legal Futures

‘Solicitors should get training in “soft skills/empathy” as part of their continuing professional development (CPD), research for the Legal Services Board (LSB) has suggested.’

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Legal Futures, 2nd August 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Watchdog shuts three solicitors firms accused in asylum sting – The Guardian

‘Three law firms in England accused of wrongdoing in dealing with asylum applications have been shut down by the solicitors’ watchdog.’

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The Guardian, 31st July 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Sunak “undermining trust in lawyers”, says Bar Council – Legal Futures

‘The Bar Council has accused Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of undermining trust in the profession by claiming that a “subset of lawyers” are exploiting illegal migrants for profit.’

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Legal Futures, 26th July 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Legal aid JR to be heard in run-up to Christmas – Law Society’s Gazette

‘A judicial review of the lord chancellor’s decision not to raise criminal legal aid fees for solicitors by the minimum 15% recommended by a government-commissioned review will be heard in the weeks leading up to Christmas, the Gazette has learned.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 24th July 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

CA rejects latest challenge to costs deduction from damages – Legal Futures

Posted July 17th, 2023 in appeals, damages, fees, law firms, news, personal injuries, solicitors, time limits by sally

‘The time for a client to challenge a solicitor’s deduction from their damages runs from the time the deduction is made, without the client having to agree the specific amount, the Court of Appeal has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 17th July 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Contractual costs in the Tribunal & County Court, with a guest appearance – Nearly Legal

Posted July 11th, 2023 in costs, county courts, leases, news, service charges, solicitors, tribunals by sally

‘The underlying proceedings were a small claim in the County Court by Crescent (via Davidoff as agent) for unpaid service charges against Mr Behjat as leaseholder. It was, apparently, transferred to the FTT for determination of payability and reasonableness of the service charges. It appears that there was then a Tribunal decision, and simultaneous County Court order made by the Tribunal judge sitting as a county court judge.’

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Nearly Legal, 10th July 2023

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

“AI won’t replace lawyers – so long as they embrace it,” says top City firm – Legal Futures

‘Generative artificial intelligence (AI) will not replace lawyers, but lawyers who use it will replace those who do not, the head of lawtech at a leading City law firm has predicted.’

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Legal Futures, 6th July 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Misconduct: ‘No simple explanation’ for race bias in complaints – Law Society’s Gazette

‘”Socio-cognitive biases” could account for the over-representation of Black, Asian and minority ethnic solicitors in complaints about potential misconduct raised with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 23rd June 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Legal firms urged to strengthen cyber defences with latest guidance from experts – The Bar Council

Posted June 23rd, 2023 in barristers, computer crime, computer programs, law firms, news, solicitors by sally

‘The updated report from the NCSC highlights the key threats that the UK legal sector face and how to improve cyber security.’

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The Bar Council, 22nd June 2023

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

High Court: Letter asserting solicitor’s lien was not defamatory – Legal Futures

Posted June 16th, 2023 in damages, defamation, fees, law firms, negligence, news, solicitors by sally

‘The High Court has thrown out a defamation claim over a letter sent by one law firm to another asserting a solicitor’s lien over £100,000 of any damages awarded to its former clients.’

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Legal Futures, 16th June 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk