Practice Management
Consortium trials platform that helps choose legal tech
A UK-based magic circle practice is among five law firms to be the first to launch a platform aimed at simplifying the job of adopting advanced legal technology by filtering out products that are unproven, inefficient, or insecure.
Solicitors “must think about run-off cover” ahead of SIF closing
Partners and fee-earners in law firms which have closed should give “careful thought” to buying additional run-off cover to protect them when the Solicitors Indemnity Fund closes next year.
Crime lawyers call on judges to issue wellbeing protocols
The chair of the Criminal Bar Association has called on the senior judiciary to extend wellbeing protocols being drafted for the family courts to the criminal jurisdiction.
“Too early” to say online court is the future, research warns
There is as yet “no clear answer” to the question of whether an online court will facilitate easier access to the court system, research has found.
Firms learn from each other how to be LGBT inclusive
Law firms have shared details of how being mentored by larger practices has helped them make their workplaces more friendly to LGBT solicitors, staff and clients.
SRA reveals how £700k Legal Access Challenge cash is being spent
The breakdown of how the £700,000 of government money awarded to the SRA to run the Legal Access Challenge has finally been published, with nearly half of it going to partner Nesta Challenges.
Moorhead savages SQE pilot
A leading academic has strongly criticised the pilot test of the first stage of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam, saying it “obscures as much as it reveals” and did not meet “basic reporting standards”.
“Confrontational” trainee was not a whistleblower
A trainee who complained of “a perceived lack of training” a few weeks after starting work at a small Norfolk law firm was not a whistleblower, an employment tribunal has ruled.
Court strikes out “incomprehensible” claim against law firm
The High Court has struck out a claim for professional negligence, breach of contract and fiduciary duty made against a central London law firm which was based on “incomprehensible pleadings”.
SRA considers ditching skills testing from first part of SQE
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is considering whether to abandon the skills element of the first stage of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam, meaning it would consist entirely of multiple-choice questions.