Market monitor

A union representing legal workers has expressed “outrage” at the “classist allocation of risk” that is seeing law firm partners working from home while other staff are forced into the office.

Barristers who follow official guidance on Covid-19 will not be in breach of their professional obligations, the BSB has said amid a range of developments in the courts, PI and conveyancing.

Personal injury law firms and insurers look unlikely to have sight of the new rules governing the whiplash portal until May as they were not signed off at this month’s rule committee meeting.

Criminal defence solicitors have called for expedited legal aid payments and an extension of the business rate holiday to law firms with contracts to combat the impact of Covid-19.

North-west law firm Jackson Lees Group is the newest consolidator to hit the market, with a management buy-out the prelude to an aggressive nationwide ‘buy and build’ strategy.

Southern England commercial law firm EMW has made the first of what it says will be a series of acquisitions of specialist consultancies as it looks to diversify beyond legal work.

Listed law firm Gateley has made its sixth acquisition of a non-legal business after adding a property and construction consultancy to its portfolio at a cost of up to £6.75m.

Fortuna Law, a litigation boutique set up by former DLA Piper partner Mark Goodwin, has changed its name after complaints from commercial practice Fortune Law.

The South East has suddenly become a new legal battleground after a £40m merger between Moore Blatch and Barlow Robbins followed listed firm Knights’ entry into the region.

Listed law firm consolidator Knights today accelerated its growth yet further by announcing two further acquisitions, making it five deals since the beginning of the year alone.

Female founders of legal start-ups are confronting sexism among investors, including having to answer demeaning questions like ‘have you frozen your eggs?’.

There is a “real profitability divide” between larger and smaller law firms although income is generally increasing across the board, new research has found.

Commercial law firms based in the UK are falling behind their global rivals in adopting new technology, including artificial intelligence and data analytics, a report has warned.

A criminal law barrister who has called for the restoration of legal aid for early advice has become the new minister at the Ministry of Justice responsible for legal aid.

Three months should be enough time for personal injury law firms and defendant insurers to be ready for the whiplash reforms, the government official leading the work said yesterday.