Legal Services

The Master of the Rolls, Sir Terence Etherton, the chair of the independent Civil Justice Council and Head of Civil Justice, has welcomed the Civil Justice Council’s rapid review of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the civil justice system, particularly the swift expansion of the use of remote hearings. The review, conducted with the support of the Legal Education Foundation, launched on 1 May 2020 and concluded on 15 May 2020. It was particularly aimed at court users whose hearings took place between 1 May and 7 May 2020.

https://www.judiciary.uk/announcements/civil-justice-council-report-on-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-civil-court-users-published/

Through acknowledging the challenges that law firms currently face in the COVID-19 crisis, this article discusses how leaders of SME law firms can maintain productivity, use the downturn to improve their business, embrace digital change and recognise new opportunities as we emerge into the new normal.

https://www.litigationfutures.com/associate-news/sme-law-firms-embracing-new-working-practices-under-a-pandemic

A group of senior former judges and legal academics has called for an acceleration in the take-up of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in the face of commercial contract disputes arising from Covid-19.

https://www.litigationfutures.com/news/top-judges-call-for-adr-acceleration-in-face-of-covid-19

Cutting the maximum size of Compensation Fund awards from £2m to £500,000 could have a “devastating” impact on “unlucky claimants”, the Law Society has warned.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/compensation-fund-cuts-would-be-devastating

A law firm earned some £800,000 in fees on three failed property development schemes as well as ‘quick sale’ conveyancing where it acted for both sides, a tribunal has heard.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/solicitor-and-firm-sanctioned-over-property-work?utm_source=iContact%2BWeekly%2BNewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=legal-futures&utm_content=

The AIM-listed company formerly known as Quindell is no longer a suspect in the Serious Fraud Office’s (SFO) investigation of what happened before the sale of its legal arm to Slater & Gordon, the prosecutor has confirmed.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/company-no-longer-a-suspect-in-sfo-quindell-probe

The boss of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has told junior lawyers that he is satisfied that its handling of the Claire Matthews case was “appropriate”.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/sra-defends-decision-to-prosecute-matthews?utm_source=iContact%2BWeekly%2BNewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=legal-futures&utm_content=

Law firms are “performing admirably” in response to daily cybersecurity threats, but are still being successfully compromised, research has found.

Some chambers may choose to continue operating virtually once the Covid-19 crisis passes, with “significant implications” for their support services and collegiality, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) heard yesterday.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/bsb-outlines-concern-over-post-virus-virtual-chambers?utm_source=iContact%2BWeekly%2BNewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=legal-futures&utm_content=

The current lockdown has changed the way legal services are delivered and these changes have presented an opportunity for cyber-criminals and fraudsters.

https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/support-services/coronavirus/coronavirus-covid-19-supporting-firms-to-be-cyberaware-bitesize-videos/