Tag Results

The relationship between large law firms and general counsel is likely to evolve in three phases, with the “endgame” around five years away, Professor Richard Susskind has predicted. He also expects the large accountancy firms to return to the arena.

A senior figure in the world of legal regulation yesterday described to me the impending effort to ban referral fees as the Dangerous Fees Act, recalling the infamously half-baked and kneejerk Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

The Law Society will next month begin sharing information about conveyancing solicitors with a lender as part of moves to discourage lenders from charging a compliance fee for firms that want to be on their panels. Meanwhile, standard mortgage instructions for solicitors acting just for lenders should be released in early 2012.

Arlene Adams, managing director and co-founder of Peppermint Technology, argues that many law firms wrongly mistake technology with commoditisation and that they need to use IT to follow the example of new entrants to the market, which will not seek to re-create what already exists but instead employ technology to streamline the legal process.

The latest national marketing organisation for solicitors could be an attractive takeover target for a big brand looking to enter the legal market, its founder has admitted. Lawyers2you, the consumer-facing brand of Birmingham law firm Blakemores, is being rolled out nationally.