News

A new third-party litigation funder enters the market today promising to target far lower-value commercial disputes than other providers, and not take a percentage of damages as its fee – with a professional negligence expert warning that lawyers could face legal action for not considering their clients’ funding options.

A regional firm of accountants is planning to become an alternative business structure (ABS). Becoming an ABS will allow Spofforths to improve the private client service currently provided by an in-house legal team and in time become a legal brand in its local market.

Peers have launched a bid to curb third-party capture of potential claimants by insurance companies, and also spell out the proposed referral fee ban in greater detail – while carving out an exception for payments to provide a pooled marketing service.

Some solicitors will now not be able to go online to renew their practising certificates until 2012, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has confirmed, amid the chaotic ongoing implementation of its £22m IT system. The deadline to activate mySRA accounts will also be extended.

QCs should lose their title if they fall below an acceptable standard, the Legal Services Consumer Panel suggested today in a report that calls on legal bodies that run voluntary quality schemes to improve checks on lawyers’ continuing competence so as to boost consumer confidence.

Solicitors should advise clients to enter funding agreements with third-party litigation funders that sign up to a new voluntary code of conduct, Lord Justice Jackson said last night. He welcomed publication of the code and creation of the Association of Litigation Funders to monitor compliance with it.

The body representing licensed conveyancers has launched a quality assurance scheme uniquely linked to their regulator in a bid to help detect mortgage fraud. The move by the Society of Licensed Conveyancers goes significantly further than the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme.

There is a “growing lobby” to stop claims management companies, solicitors and insurers from using alternative business structures to get around the ban on referral fees, it was claimed yesterday. Insurers were also asked to be honest about whether motor premiums will go down after the ban.

Plans to introduce qualified one-way costs-shifting (QOCS) in personal injury litigation should be scrapped, one of the country’s leading insurance companies has told Legal Futures. Allianz – the first insurer to back away from an aspect of the Jackson reforms – found support from a top claimant lawyer.

Our regular news in brief round-up reveals that Jonathan Gulliford, one of the architects of Co-operative Legal Services, is leaving the company this week. Meanwhile, the first ABS has won an innovation award, general counsel are cool on LPO, and Lord Justice Jackson says his reforms could boost lawyers’ work.