When law firms think about the new requirement to have risk registers and compliance plans in place, and for their COLP/COFAs to report breaches, most of them will tend to think that the only organisation that will take an interest in them if they don’t will be the Solicitors Regulation Authority. However, they would be mistaken, as professional indemnity insurers are also waiting in the wings.

I recently met the managing partner of a large law firm who was frustrated by the lack of return he was getting from his current investment in IT. He described it as a leaking bath: “The tap keeps running but the water level stays the same.” He explained the technology supporting his business had reached a point where it was very complex and costly to make a simple change because of the consequential impact across his IT stack. The problem he described is common and stems from the way IT has developed over the years.

In an exclusive blog for this website, Baroness Ruth Deech, chair of the Bar Standards Board, addresses the increasingly strident criticism from criminal law barristers about the impending Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA).

What many personal injury (PI) firms have long feared is finally upon us, and there is no turning back. Earlier this month justice secretary Chris Grayling confirmed the cut to fixed fees for low-value RTA cases from £1,200 to £500. Of course, the decision to reduce fees by £700 was so well thought through, wasn’t it? The last few months have been reminiscent of the tale of the Emperor’s new clothes. Whilst the majority of realists on the ground have been shouting the obvious problems with the proposed changes, those close to Grayling have ignored the madness of the naked truth.

Some colleagues and I flew to Scotland last month to visit our members north of the border. Whilst we were sitting in the departure lounge, waiting for our delayed flight, we were approached by someone conducting a survey for the Civil Aviation Authority. Being an amenable bunch, focused on helping organisations improve customer service, we happily took part. We were asked a series of questions about who we were, where we were flying, why, how we’d booked our tickets and so on. Most of our answers were very positive. So why then, when asked to rate our overall experience on a scale of 1-10, did we only score it a 4?