News

An in-house division, an advocacy section and maybe even replicating the Conveyancing Quality Scheme for private client solicitors are among the items on the Law Society’s agenda as plans to reshape Chancery Lane begin to roll out, chief executive Des Hudson has revealed.

The Bar Standards Board will face a “storm of protest” over its “ridiculous” review of whether to lower the burden of proof in disciplinary cases against barristers, it has been warned. The change will “make it easier” to convict barristers where it is their word against the client’s.

The government has fought off amendments to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill that would have reversed the impact of the Jackson reforms on several areas of practice. It has also rejected the judge’s recent call to fund expert reports in clinical negligence cases with legal aid.

The national costs management pilot being rolled out next month will put law firms in danger of huge losses, a leading expert has warned. Professor Dominic Regan said costs management will place much greater emphasis and scrutiny to produce detailed and accurate budgets.

Recognition of the QualitySolicitors brand is registering low among consumers, Law Society research has found, which it says justifies the efforts with its new advertising campaign to ensure the network does not appropriate the word ‘quality’.

The ban on referral fees is likely to take the form of a criminal offence, Lord Chancellor Ken Clarke revealed yesterday. Meanwhile, Jack Straw has called for the fees payable to lawyers under the road traffic accident portal to be halved to £600.

The relationship between large law firms and general counsel is likely to evolve in three phases, with the “endgame” around five years away, Professor Richard Susskind has predicted. He also expects the large accountancy firms to return to the arena.

Legal publishing giant LexisNexis has become the latest entrant to the automated document assembly market with the launch of LexisSmart. It will next month be linked up to the company’s LawyerLocator referral service so that customers can seek a lawyer review of documents.

In-deed, the AIM-listed online conveyancing service, may alter its business model after struggling to convert quotes into instructions, its chairman has revealed. Nonetheless, it is preparing to move into wills next year and planning a television advertising campaign.

The first wave of alternative business structures is on the way after the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) opened its doors for applications. The CLC will be able to start licensing ABSs from 6 October.