The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) regulates solicitors in England and Wales. According to its latest annual report the SRA spent £16.5m on disciplinary processes in 2021/22, a £1.5m increase from 2019/20 (pre-covid). It should be noted that the SRA financial...
In the digital age, fraud is showing no sign of slowing and is becoming an ever-present threat across all industries and sectors, in particular law firms that handle highly sensitive information on a daily basis. During these times, cybercriminal activity is becoming...
A recent study from the Digital Conveyancing Maturity Index found that the average digital maturity of law firms in England and Wales was 43%. Furthermore only 5% of law firms scored higher than 80%. This will perhaps come as a shock too many considering the pandemic...
Recent statistics have revealed that the legal sector has defied predictions of a slowdown. Data from the Office for National Statistics has revealed that turnover for the legal sector for July was £3.7bn, an 8.3% increase from July 2021 (£3.4bn) and a 2.2% increase...
Recent sector research has found that the biggest challenge facing in-house legal teams is managing risk whilst prioritising large volumes of work. It is important to note that this was a global survey formed of 169 legal, risk and compliance professionals. Over 20%...
Towards the end of 2021 the SRA announced that they were proposing an increase in fining powers from £2,000 to £25,000. In addition, the regulator announced the development of a new fast track system for ‘fixed penalties’ for low-level offenses. It was recently...
The LSB (Legal Services Board) has developed a new website called reshapinglegalservices.org.uk. The new website aims to present research and insight about the future of legal services from lawyers, regulators, tech experts and consumers. The idea behind the website...
What is Legal Data? Legal data is information classified as regarding law and is generated from multiple formats including time recording, knowledge banks, spreadsheets, legal documents, billing systems and more. This data is used in all areas of practice law. It is...
It’s no secret that many sectors are facing severe wage inflation with many locked in ongoing battles to retain their best staff. Indeed, as the economy begins to open up as Omicron-related restrictions are eased, many legal firms in particular are facing a backlog of...
The SRA has proposed to end the provision of post-six-year run-off cover because they judge the protection as disproportionately expensive. Run-off cover is insurance for claims made against a law firm after it has stopped doing business. This change would mean that...
The SRA is proposing a major increase in their fining powers and has developed a new fast track system for ‘fixed penalties’ for low-level offenses. The SRA has begun a consultation on increasing the maximum fine they can issue to law firms from £2,000 to £25,000. In...
The government has published draft legislation outlining how they aim to change the current rules for taxing partners in cases where the partnership’s year-end does not fall on 31 March or 5 April. What changes are being proposed? Partners will be taxed on the...