Tag Results
Goodbye SDT? Legal Services Board sets sights on “rationalising” disciplinary regimes
Tuesday, 10 May 2011The Legal Services Board is considering whether to consolidate the disciplinary regimes run by all the different legal regulators, it has emerged. Recent events “suggest we should explore the feasibility of rationalising existing mechanisms sooner rather than later”.
Tags: ABS, Alternative business structures, Legal Services Board, Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, Solicitors Regulation Authority
Posted in Barristers, Legal Executives, Legal Services Board, News, Regulation, Solicitors
Consumer watchdog gives SRA’s ABS application green light – with reservations
Monday, 9 May 2011The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s application to become a licensing body for alternative business structures has been endorsed by the Legal Services Board’s consumer watchdog, but with reservations. The Legal Services Consumer Panel expressed disappointment that some recommendations it made during consultations were not adopted.
Tags: ABS, Alternative business structures, Legal Services Board, Legal Services Consumer Panel, OFR, outcomes-focused regulation, Solicitors Code of Conduct, Solicitors Handbook, Solicitors Regulation Authority
Posted in Alternative business structures, Consumer panel, News
News in brief: solicitors, barristers and referrers link up, conveyancing boost and more
Friday, 6 May 2011This week’s news in brief includes details of London law firm EDC Lord & Co, barristers’ chambers 6 Pump Court and referral agency Contact Law launching an online fixed-fee legal advice scheme, ClickLaw24.com.
Tags: ABS, Alternative business structures, Bar Council, conveyancing quality scheme, CQS, Law Society, Legal Ombudsman, LeO, Online Legal Services, outcomes-focused regulation, Solicitors Regulation Authority
Posted in Legal Ombudsman, Market monitor, News, News In Brief
Regulators change name of advocacy scheme in face of legal threat from education body
Thursday, 5 May 2011The Solicitors Regulation Authority, Bar Standards Board and ILEX Professional Standards have been forced to change the name of their advocacy quality scheme after they were threatened with legal action.
Tags: bar standards board, ILEX Professional Standards, QAA, QASA, Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates, Solicitors Regulation Authority
Posted in Barristers, Legal Executives, News, Solicitors
The F word
Thursday, 5 May 2011In the end, the Bar Standards Board probably didn’t have much of a choice but to become a regulator of advocacy focused alternative business structures. Without it, barristers and chambers that wanted to practise in new ways would have been forced to go off and find a new regulator – most likely the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Tags: ABS, advocacy, Alternative business structures, bar standards board, litigation rights, ProcureCo, Solicitors Regulation Authority
Posted in Blog
Staggering 1400% surge in Irish solicitors requalifying in England and Wales
Tuesday, 3 May 2011The number of solicitors from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland requalifying in England and Wales soared by an amazing 1383% ahead of last September’s changes to the transfer regime for foreign lawyers, Solicitors Regulation Authority figures have revealed.
Tags: Ireland, qualified lawyers transfer scheme, Solicitors Regulation Authority
Posted in News, Solicitors
The PII waiting game
Wednesday, 27 April 2011It would be easy, if lazy, journalism to accuse the Solicitors Regulation Authority of some kind of u-turn in the way it has changed its approach to professional indemnity insurance reform. Bodies like the SRA sometimes cannot win – either they plough on and face charges of not listening, or they listen and are then accused of u-turns. Or perhaps of woolly thinking in the first place.
Tags: assigned risks pool, professional indemnity insurance, Solicitors Regulation Authority
Posted in Blog
Post-qualification competence in spotlight as first review of CPD in 25 years is launched
Thursday, 21 April 2011The Solicitors Regulation Authority has announced the first research into continuing professional development in the legal profession for a quarter of a century. As first reported by Legal Futures in February, it has appointed Professor Andrew Boon of Westminster University to conduct the research.
Tags: continuing professional development, CPD, ethics, legal education, Solicitors Regulation Authority
Posted in hrtraining, News, Solicitors
SRA poised to mystery shop conveyancing firms over fees and publicity
Thursday, 21 April 2011The Solicitors Regulation Authority could “mystery shop” conveyancing firms to check whether their costs information and publicity about charges are misleading, it has revealed. At the same time, the Legal Services Board announced that it is to consider a major review of conveyancing.
Tags: conveyancing, Legal Services Board, mortgage fraud, referral fees, reserved legal activities, Solicitors Regulation Authority, will-writing
Posted in News, Solicitors
Consumer watchdog calls on SRA to probe referral fees and conflicts of interest in BTE
Monday, 18 April 2011The Solicitors Regulation Authority should investigate the practice of panels of solicitors taking cases from before-the-event legal expenses insurers on a conditional fee basis after paying referral fees, a consumer watchdog has argued.
Tags: Jackson report, legal expenses insurance, referral fees, Solicitors Regulation Authority, Young review
Posted in News, Solicitors