LSB questions Bar regulator’s decision-making – Legal Futures

Posted April 27th, 2020 in barristers, budgets, internet, legal services, Legal Services Board, news by sally

‘The Legal Services Board (LSB) is launching a formal review of the Bar Standards Board’s (BSB) leadership and decision-making in the wake of its controversial decision to stop funding the Legal Choices website.’

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Legal Futures, 27th April 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

SRA: Legal Services Act regime “struggling to remain relevant” – Legal Futures

‘The rate of change in the legal market makes it “increasingly difficult” for the regulatory framework laid down by the Legal Services Act to remain relevant, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned.’

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Legal Futures, 20th April 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

COVID-19: a protocol to assist solicitors who are working remotely and advising suspects in relation to police interviews – Garden Court Chambers

Posted April 16th, 2020 in chambers articles, coronavirus, legal services, news, police, solicitors by sally

‘This document is intended to draw your attention to the serious risk to life that solicitors and suspects, in police stations, are facing during the COVID-19 crisis and to suggest ways to reduce them. It is not intended to be a definitive statement of what needs to be done. You may have other ideas which are equally or more valid. What is certain is that action needs to be taken if lives are to be saved. The protocol below is intended to assist solicitors to give appropriate legal advice to suspects, at the interview stage, when working remotely.’

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Garden Court Chambers, 1st April 2020

Source: www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk

Budget rejection lays bare Legal Ombudsman crisis – Legal Futures

Posted March 31st, 2020 in budgets, legal services, Legal Services Board, news, ombudsmen, standards by sally

‘The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has hit crisis point again after it was forced to backtrack on its request for a 20% budget rise, with the Legal Services Board (LSB) describing its performance as unacceptable.’

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Legal Futures, 31st March 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Barristers urged to join Covid-19 pro bono panel – Legal Futures

Posted March 30th, 2020 in barristers, coronavirus, legal services, news, pro bono work by sally

‘National chambers Clerksroom is rallying barristers to volunteer for a new pro bono scheme to help keyworkers and struggling businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic obtain legal advice.’

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Legal Futures, 27th March 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Lord Chancellor praises lawyers’ “heroic” efforts – Legal Futures

‘The Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland yesterday praised lawyers for their “heroic efforts” in trying to keep trials going during the coronavirus pandemic.’

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Legal Futures, 25th March 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Inducing Breach of Contract: – Reliance on Legal Advice Saves the Day in Court of Appeal – Littleton Chambers

Posted March 24th, 2020 in appeals, chambers articles, contracts, covenants, enforcement, legal services, news by sally

‘In an important decision yesterday (27 February), Allen v Dodd & Co Limited [2020] EWCA Civ 258, the Court of Appeal held that if a person believes their conduct will probably not result in a breach of a contract they will not be liable for inducing a breach even if: (a) they knew there was a risk of breach; and (b) the court subsequently finds such a breach.’

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Littleton Chambers, 28th February 2020

Source: www.littletonchambers.com

Consumer panel urges more fixed fees and SRA fining powers – Legal Futures

‘More use of fixed fees and an increase in the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) fining powers are among recommendations made today by the Legal Services Consumer Panel.’

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Legal Futures, 19th March 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Mirror’s in-house lawyers under phone-hacking scrutiny – Legal Futures

‘The High Court has rejected a bid to strike out the claim by various public figures that the legal department of MGN Group knew about phone hacking at the Daily Mirror.’

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Legal Futures, 11th March 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘Worse than LASPO’: housing disputes proposal divides profession – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted March 11th, 2020 in housing, landlord & tenant, legal services, news by tracey

‘A radical proposal by an influential human rights thinktank to resolve housing disputes – a sector blighted by “advice deserts” – has divided housing lawyers.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 10th March 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Report into Welsh council highlights monitoring officer also being its sole qualified childcare lawyer as example of risk of ‘all hands to the pumps’ approach – Local Government Lawyer

Posted March 4th, 2020 in children, legal services, local government, news, solicitors, Wales by sally

‘A rapid assessment carried out by the Improvement and Assurance Board set up at Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council has highlighted a situation where the authority’s monitoring officer is also its sole qualified childcare lawyer and has additional responsibilities as an example of why it has significant concerns about the ability of the council to deal with ongoing practical issues.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 3rd March 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Client “acted reasonably” in relying on incorrect advice – Legal Futures

‘An employer acted reasonably in relying on legal advice that the restrictive covenants on a new employee were unlikely to be enforceable, even though they proved to be, the Court of Appeal has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 2nd March 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Peer calls for regulation overhaul as CMA plans review – Legal Futures

‘A solicitor peer has urged the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to act now and simplify the legal regulatory regime, saying nothing will change if it is left to the profession.’

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Legal Futures, 26th February 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

“Redesign legal services” to make them more accessible – Legal Futures

Posted February 24th, 2020 in legal services, Legal Services Board, news by sally

‘The way legal services are provided needs to change to recognise that a large portion of the population struggles with the law and needs more help with accessing it, a report from the Legal Services Board (LSB) has urged.’

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Legal Futures, 24th February 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Litigators confident that work will remain post-Brexit – Litigation Futures

Posted February 6th, 2020 in brexit, legal profession, legal services, news by sally

‘Most litigation lawyers (57%) believe there will not be significant loss of work to other jurisdictions in the wake of Brexit, a survey has found.’

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Litigation Futures, 6th February 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Court of Appeal adopts dominant purpose test – Henderson Chambers

‘Copying in your lawyer or having them at a meeting, does not necessarily mean that legal advice privilege will apply – in a law-changing judgment, the Court of Appeal has adopted the dominant purpose test in relation to Legal Advice Privilege.’

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Henderson Chambers, 30th January 2020

Source: www.hendersonchambers.co.uk

Appeal court confirms ‘dominant purpose’ test for legal advice privilege – OUT-LAW.com

‘The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) could not claim legal advice privilege over email correspondence which was predominantly conducted for the purposes of seeking commercial views, rather than legal advice, the Court of Appeal has confirmed.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 4th February 2020

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Important New Court of Appeal Decision on Legal Advice Privilege – Littleton Chambers

Posted February 4th, 2020 in disclosure, electronic mail, legal services, news, privilege by sally

‘The Court of Appeal decision on 28 January 2020 on legal advice privilege will be of significant interest to litigators and non-litigators alike. It will be particularly important for those responsible for disclosure reviews within litigation, and to organisations with in-house lawyers. Such was the significance of the issues at play that the Law Society sought, and was granted, leave to intervene in the appeal.’

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Littleton Chambers, 29th January 2020

Source: www.littletonchambers.com

Landlord Advice Companies in Litigation – Help or Hindrance? – Pallant Chambers

Posted February 4th, 2020 in landlord & tenant, legal services, news, third parties by sally

‘For individual landlords unfamiliar with the courts, recovering possession from tenants must often seem like a daunting proposition. It is therefore unsurprising that many such landlords turn to the wide variety of landlord advice companies that advertise support and assistance. These advice companies often offer different ‘packages’, ranging from simply drafting letters before action to pursuing possession orders right through to judgment.’

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Pallant Chambers, 30th January 2020

Source: www.pallantchambers.co.uk

Lawyers could be forced to sign up to comparison websites – Legal Futures

‘Law firms, chambers and other legal services providers could be forced to sign up to comparison websites so that clients can let others know about the quality of service they received.’

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Legal Futures, 3rd February 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk