News

The Legal Ombudsman service is planning for more complaints because of concerns that the legal aid cuts will drive down standards among solicitors, its chief executive has revealed. He said: “It might be prudent to plan for more complaints about lawyers and legal services rather than less.”

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has launched a new strategy aimed at ensuring the interests of consumers “sit at the heart of the legal services marketplace”. It is also working on a project to determine whether the legal profession is meeting the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing.

In the latest instalment of our Legal Pioneers series, Neil Rose talks to Suzanne Dibble, the company/commercial lawyer and mother who last month won an award for her unique legal offering to the growing band of mumpreneurs.

Non-lawyer investors in alternative business structures will have to disclose any previous convictions, even if spent, to pass the ‘fit and proper owner’ test, Legal Futures can reveal. It was the last major hurdle to the full adoption of ABSs.

The Legal Ombudsman is to float the idea of extending its jurisdiction so as to handle complaints against will-writers, in a bid to ease the problems faced by consumers who think they are regulated, Legal Futures can report.

The launch of the controversial quality assurance scheme for criminal advocates is likely to be delayed, the Joint Advocacy Group has announced. “Some adjustments” to the scheme are likely “to ensure that there are not unintended consequences”.

Legal Futures can reveal that Premier Property Lawyers – one of the largest conveyancing businesses in the country – has today become the first ever alternative business structure as the new regime finally gets underway.

A ‘virtual’ law firm has today become the first UK solicitors’ practice to announce its intention to seek a stock market admission so as to fund growth and attract more solicitors to the business. Everyman Legal will become an alternative business structure when it can.

The new compliance officers required under outcomes-focused regulation – which begins today – “will not be sacrificial lambs for the sins of the organisations they work in”, the chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority has stressed.

The Republic of Ireland is to introduce completely independent regulation of the legal profession – and possibly fuse the solicitors’ and barristers’ professions – the Dublin government has announced. The reforms meet commitments given to the EU and IMF as part of the country’s financial bail-out.