Client care

The vast majority of law firms are non-compliant with the Solicitors Code of Conduct, research by the Solicitors Regulation Authority has found. Most of the 200 firms assessed had four or five incidences of non-compliance.

It is not essential that the retainer between solicitor and client is in writing, the High Court has ruled. London firm Fladgate successfully sued client Lee Harrison for £63,332 in unpaid fees for work done in a corporate restructuring.

Our latest news round-up reports on an apology over the sudden change in the Legal Ombudsman’s address, which affects all lawyers, a unique agreement between a law firm and a barrister, a crucial ruling on interest on costs, and the exit of the CLC’s chief executive.

Law firms are “their own competitors” because the poor way many deal with telephone enquiries is pushing away nearly half of their potential clients, a mystery shopping exercise has concluded. Nearly half said they would actively encourage people not to use the firm they called.

Solicitors who have a long-standing relationship with a client and receive many instructions are not under an implied general retainer to keep under review all previous advice and drafting, the High Court has ruled.

“Unthinking reliance” on the indicative behaviours in the Code of Conduct is not a risk-free approach to compliance, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has warned. Larger firms should also not appoint their senior or managing partners to the role of compliance office for legal practice.

West country firm Ashfords was named conveyancer of the year in a major industry award ceremony last week. It also won the large conveyancer of the year gold medal, while Wiltshire practice Awdry Bailey & Douglas won small conveyancer of the year for firms with up to 15 fee-earners.

Clients view fixed fees and online access to the progress of their case – but not brand names – as key elements of legal services they would buy, according to unique new research, while law firms are waiting for competitors to close under pressure from ABSs and legal aid.

Just eight applicants to the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme have been rejected, it has emerged. The number of applicants has now passed 1,000, of which 317 have so far been approved. But Law Society chief executive Des Hudson has told Legal Futures that the scheme’s credibility would not be judged on how many are rejected.

A sizeable slice of corporate lawyers is misunderstanding the fundamental drivers of client satisfaction, according to new research which also found that less than a fifth of general counsel have final choice over selecting external legal advisers.

The great majority of consumers who have used legal services are satisfied with the outcome, although many do not feel they received good value for money, a survey has found. Worryingly for lawyers likely to face competition from trusted brands after October, however, it suggested significant public distrust of lawyers.

Face-to-face advice remains important to clients in several key areas of legal work and can help ward off complaints, Legal Services Board research has found. The research by YouGov discovered face-to-face advice most prevalent in family matters and will-writing.

The chief executive of national law firm Russell Jones & Walker has questioned the ability of large solicitors’ consortiums to provide clients with a consistent service across the board. Neil Kinsella stressed the importance of independence and consistency.

The Bar Standards Board has approved the latest version of guidance on “signposting” requirements to notify lay clients of their rights to complain about poor service. It hopes the new formula will satisfy both disgruntled barristers and the Legal Services Board.

The founder of property website Rightmove enters the law today with the intention of making his online conveyancing service the market leader within three years, Legal Futures can reveal. It is being marketed on the basis of service quality, rather than price.