Sprat and Mackerel Solicitors – purveyors of free advice
Many of the new entrants into the legal market, and several of the so-called comparison/directory sites, require firms to provider some free legal advice. Is this something that is worth doing and if do, do firms really understand what they need to do to capitalise upon that free advice?
“If your lips would keep from slips ……
Recent weeks have seen examples of how those who tweet can end up on the wrong side of the authorities. The item looks at some of the factors legal tweeters should bear in mind if they are to avoid problems.
SRA Accepts First ABS Applications
From 3 January the SRA has been accepting applications from those wishing to set up alternative business structures. Is the SRA ready to process those applications and, more importantly, will it be able to regulate them in the future?
An unachievable dream?
As the current financial squeeze continues to tighten, petrol prices soar, government spending cuts bite and law firms tighten their economic belt just one more notch, one is prompted to ask whether those students entering the legal educational sausage machine are being sold an unachievable dream.
Stay away from Delphi ? and self-fulfilling prophesies
Are we, as a profession, in danger of talking ourselves into extinction simply by not saying enough that is positive? It seems that many solicitors don?t want to change the way they offer services, despite the fact that all of the indicators would seem to be that everyone else does.
Kafka ? required reading for tomorrow?s lawyer?
A recent survey of around 180 lawyers has revealed that slightly over half think ABSs would provide more opportunity for them. Who were this remarkably optimistic sample of our great and learned profession?
Alternatives to intervention ? proposals considered by SRA
SRA consider alternatives to intervention in paper to Compliance Committee inviting them to resolve to encourage the use of alternatives to interventions and to provide guidance to firms.
Cutting out the clutter
Am I alone in believing that there is simply too much information out there. Apparently not as an international survey of legal professionals undertaken by Lexis Nexis has revealed that information overload is a widespread and growing problem for lawyers everywhere and is lowering productivity and morale.
Do lawyers care about their regulators?
Does the average lawyer care about their regulator and regulation or are both sides of the divide somewhat missing the point? Should both regulators and the regulated be taking more interest in each other?
Intervention – should be a last resort
An intervention into a solicitors? practice is a process which the Solicitors Regulation Authority should only ever undertake as a last resort and is designed to protect the interest, property and money of clients. It is a drastic step and one which will invariably result in the closure of the practice and often result in the bankruptcy of the solicitor who is intervened in.
Is it time for a solicitors? defence union?
Is now the time for for solicitors to put aside their differences and start to act together through a union. Lawyers Defence Group manager Duncan Finlyson looks at one of the reasons why this might be so.
Halliwells are not the only casualty
As the Twitterers and commentators of the legal press speculate about the reasons behind the sad demise of Halliwells spare a thought for the unsung victims of the current legal climate.
Babies, bathwater and the LSB
Yesterday saw the release of the latest business plan from the Legal Services Board, and, as could be predicted, it was suitably bullish about the future, the need for regulation of the profession in the interests of the consumer and the need to keep an eye on those regulator chappies who would be slippery back-sliders if not kept an eye on.
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