News

The Bar Standards Board is set to remove two key restrictions that fetter more members of the public instructing barristers directly, after a record number of barristers took the public access training course this year.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority will begin accepting licensing applications for alternative business structures from 3 January 2012, with the first successful ones announced within around six weeks, it announced today.

The Law Society is considering whether any law firm which recruits trainee solicitors should have to undergo mandatory training in equality and diversity, Legal Futures can report. It may also work with the largest City law firms to help them recruit more black and minority ethnic lawyers.

The recent case of a Scottish advocate’s stolen, unencrypted laptop raises some important questions regarding data controller responsibility, portable media (not just laptops) and the options available for securing such media, explains Matt Torrens.

The third-party litigation funding market received another boost yesterday after a funder raised a new tranche of money to put into cases. However, the SRA has told Legal Futures that solicitors are not under a requirement to choose funders that comply with the new voluntary code of conduct.

The Legal Services Board is joining forces with the Ministry of Justice and the Law Society to ask 2,000 high street law firms how ready they are for the introduction of alternative business structures. It will form part of what is likely to be the largest ever survey of high street legal provision.

Legal expenses insurer DAS has taken the next step in its preparations to become an alternative business structure by acquiring online legal services company Everything Legal, which owns legal advice website Law on the Web. It will give DAS a strong direct route to market.

The Court of Appeal is to decide the extent to which legal expenses insurers can control how much they pay non-panel solicitors. ULR Additions has lodged an appeal against the important ruling that before-the-event insurers cannot reject a policyholder’s choice of a non-panel solicitor because of fee rates.

The Bar Council is urging barristers to embrace public access. But, says John Binks, the reality of doing the work will come as a rude shock to many barristers. It can be done, but they will need to revisit the way they do business, including the chambers model.

The Law Society has recently revoked the membership of 200 members of its accreditation schemes, it has revealed. The society was responding to the surprise expressed last week that it had not appeared to expel anyone from any accreditation scheme over the past five years.