Ex-One Legal staff given pay award over redundancy without notice – Legal Futures

‘Sixty-four former employees of One Legal – the alternative business structure that owned two criminal law firms – have been granted full protective awards because they were made redundant without notice.’

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Legal Futures, 21st June 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

“Extraordinary things are happening” outside of traditional law firms – Legal Futures

‘Professor Richard Susskind’s claim that the current model of alternative legal services providers has not delivered and needs to be rethought is premature, the boss of Radiant Law has argued.’

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Legal Futures, 12th July 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

New ‘corporate’ chambers looks to shake up Bar – Legal Futures

Posted November 2nd, 2020 in alternative business structures, barristers, news by tracey

‘A family law barrister, together with the former chief executive of Sport England and the Lawn Tennis Association, are looking to shake up the Bar by adopting a corporate structure for their new chambers.’

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Legal Futures, 2nd November 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

ABSs “reshaping the boundaries of law” with integrated services – Legal Futures

‘Alternative business structures (ABSs) are reshaping the boundaries of the law by emphasising the benefit of integrated professional services, rather than pure legal knowledge, a leading academic has argued.’

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Legal Futures, 17th June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

“Dishonest” ABS owner banned for multiple breaches – Legal Futures

‘A non-lawyer owner of an alternative business structure (ABS) responsible for multiple rule breaches – including a £3.6m shortfall on his firm’s client account – has been banned from working in another one.’

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Legal Futures, 11th February 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

ABSs having “direct and positive impact” on legal market – LSB – Legal Futures

Posted July 1st, 2019 in alternative business structures, legal services, news by sally

‘Alternative business structures (ABS) continue to have a “direct and positive impact” on the legal market, the oversight regulator has said.’

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Legal Futures, 1st July 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

First Bar Standards Board ABS closes down – Legal Futures

‘The first alternative business structure (ABS) licensed by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) – a combination of barristers and football agents – has shut down, Legal Futures can reveal.’

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Legal Futures, 28th June 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Tesco Law at last? SRA rules could herald “new breed of MDP” – Legal Futures

‘The new rulebook for solicitors may lead to a “new breed” of multi-disciplinary practices (MDPs) emerging that integrate legal services with a very wide range of services for individuals, one of its architects has predicted.’

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Legal Futures, 3rd April 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Firm fined record £124,000 for sending millions of misleading letters – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority has issued its biggest ever fine, against a business which sent six million marketing letters containing misleading statements.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 14th March 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Tribunal orders defunct law firm to pay staff outstanding wages – Legal Futures

‘A defunct family law firm has been ordered by an employment tribunal to pay two female members of staff unpaid wages and damages.’

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Legal Futures, 7th March 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

No TUPE protection for most staff shed in Lawyers Inc takeover – Legal Futures

‘Only five out of 22 lawyers and staff who lost their jobs when Hull firm Ingrams collapsed in July 2017 were protected by the TUPE regulations when the firm was effectively taken over by an innovative alternative business structure (ABS), an employment tribunal has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 8th January 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

New ABS combines legal and accountancy advice – Legal Futures

Posted December 10th, 2018 in accountants, alternative business structures, legal services, news by sally

‘A litigation-focused legal and accountancy alternative business structure (ABS), which opened for business earlier this month, is set to benefit from an “explosion” in contested probate cases.’

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Legal Futures, 10th December 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Levels of innovation in law “stagnating” but future looks better – Legal Futures

‘The level of innovation in the legal market has “stagnated and fallen in some areas” in recent years, but there are a number of encouraging signs for the future, major new research has revealed.’

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Legal Futures, 29th November 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

ABSs can facilitate criminal legal aid revolution, argues former justice minister – Legal Futures

Posted May 21st, 2018 in alternative business structures, criminal justice, legal aid, news by sally

‘The legal market is “totally fragmented, under-capitalised, technologically semi-illiterate and structurally redundant”, a former justice minister has claimed, arguing that a smaller number of big firms is the answer to the problems with criminal legal aid.’

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Legal Futures, 21st May 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Call to investigate barriers to ABSs moving into other professional services – Legal Futures

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) should investigate whether there are regulatory barriers to law firms that become alternative business structures (ABSs) providing other professional services such as accountancy and surveying, rather than vice versa, a report it commissioned has recommended.’

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Legal Futures, 10th May 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Exclusive: Solicitors choose “practical and proportionate” BSB regulation in ABS first – Legal Futures

‘Solicitors setting up an alternative business structure (ABS) this month in Marlborough, Wiltshire, have chosen to be regulated by the Bar Standards Board (BSB).’

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Legal Futures, 12th January 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

“Weak competition” and legal culture behind lack of external investment through ABS, says LSB report – Legal Futures

‘The low level of external investment in law firms since alternative business structures (ABSs) were allowed more than five years ago “may be a symptom of weak competition in the market overall”, a Legal Services Board (LSB) report has suggested.’

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Legal Futures, 15th June 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Innovation happening, but no strong need to change the traditional chambers model, say respondents to BSB survey – Bar Standards Board

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has today published its report into the provision of legal services by barristers. The report contains the results of an online survey conducted in September and October 2016 with barristers about the future delivery of legal services.’

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Bar Standards Board, 30th May 2017

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

ABS targets continued expansion as ‘second cities’ strategy and non-legal services see turnover rocket – Legal Futures

Posted May 2nd, 2017 in alternative business structures, law firms, news by sally

‘Fast-growing alternative business structure Knights Professional Services is on the look-out for its next acquisition and ‘second city’ location – as well as more non-legal services – after unveiling an increase of more than 60% in turnover over the past year to £33.5m.’

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Legal Futures, 2nd May 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Shared legal service terminated after requirements of partner councils change – Local Government Lawyer

‘The shared legal service between Spelthorne Borough Council and Reigate & Banstead Borough Council came to an end last month after three years, it has emerged.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 11th April 2017

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk