More than three years after it emerged that the phone of murdered teenager Milly Dowler had been hacked – leading to the closure of The News of the World and the launch of the Leveson inquiry – the reverberations from the scandal continue to rumble on.
Continue reading “Former News International legal duo face solicitors tribunal”
A direct consequence of the government’s decision in May not to make any major changes to the regulatory framework for legal services is that it simultaneously fired the starting gun for the race to introduce major changes to the regulatory framework for legal services.
Last week, the Home Secretary announced that, with all party agreement, the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Bill – (DRIP for short) – would be introduced into Parliament. Much of that is covered in the previous post of 10th July. Since then, criticism has mounted in relation to the late introduction of the Bill prior to the summer recess. Continue reading “Guest post: DRIP – a torrent of mass surveillance seems more likely”
Introducing the annual report for the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in the last financial year David Green, CB QC, director of the SFO had this to say: ‘Since I took up post in April 2012, we have sharpened the strategic focus of the SFO on the casework for which the Roskill model was designed and intended. This is the topmost tier of serious and complex fraud and bribery. Continue reading “Guest post: Light at the end of the tunnel for the SFO and a review of the last 12 months from David Green QC”
The Law Society paid out approaching £1m in recruitment fees over ten months in 2013, as Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) took the lion’s share of disclosed legal fees for that period, standing at almost £450,000, the body’s latest accounts reveal. Continue reading “Law Society pays £1m recruitment bill as Norton Rose Fulbright receives £435k”
The Law Society paid out approaching £1m in recruitment fees over ten months in 2013, as Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) took the lion’s share of disclosed legal fees for that period, standing at almost £450,000, the body’s latest accounts reveal.
Recruiter Michael Page took home £919,919 in the ten months to October 2013, a 41% uptick on fees paid in the whole of 2012, when the figure was £654,555.
The fees are listed in the Law Society Group (LSG)’s latest financial accounts published in early June, with the 2013 financial period shortened to October in order to align it with the payment of practising certificate fees.
Continue reading “Law Society pays £1m recruitment bill as Norton Rose receives £435k”
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has voted to cut the minimum compulsory cover for professional indemnity insurance (PII) from £2m to £500,000 despite strong opposition from the Law Society and the City of London Law Society (CLLS) to the speed of change and lack of consultation with insurers. Continue reading “SRA votes to cut minimum PII cover from £2m to £500k despite fears over damage to legal brand”
The Law Society has asked the Metropolitan Police to investigate Wonga after it emerged that the UK’s biggest payday lender had sent letters to customers in arrears from non-existent law firms, threatening legal action. Continue reading “Law Society asks Met Police to investigate Wonga for fake solicitor letters”
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has today (24 June) announced that one of its board members, Enid Rowlands, will succeed outgoing chair Charles Plant from 1 January 2015. Continue reading “SRA announces replacement for outgoing chair Charles Plant”
The Law Society Group has put plans in place to slash lawyers’ practising certificate fees by almost 17% from the 12 months beginning 1 November 2014. Continue reading “Law Society proposes significant cuts to practising certificate fee and compensation fund”
