Compensation Fund levy
Legal Futures, Gazette, Solicitors Journal, Legal Cheek and Business Mayor cover the Law Society’s response to news that the Legal Services Board (LSB) has confirmed a rise in the contributions solicitors must pay to the Compensation Fund.
Law Society chief executive officer Ian Jeffery said: “The SRA’s request for additional funds is largely the result of the collapse of Axiom Ince and the cost of compensating its victims.
“A substantial increase – 200% for individuals and 236% for firms – is deeply concerning.
“In our consultation response, the Law Society asked the SRA to reconsider how the levy was apportioned, to ensure the burden was distributed fairly, and to take proactive measures to prevent future substantial claims.”
Family courts statistics
Solicitors Journal covers the Law Society’s response to the MoJ’s latest family court statistics, which show domestic abuse survivors are being forced to represent themselves in court due to inaccessible legal aid.
President Nick Emmerson said: “Our research shows 19% of legal aid firms have closed in the last five years. This means that domestic abuse survivors who are eligible for legal aid struggle to find a provider in their area.
“Unable to afford representation, many are forced to appear in court on their own, navigating complex court processes and procedures to seek protection for themselves and their children.
“The UK government’s failure to expand the legal aid means test has also meant that people living in poverty are unable to meet the income threshold.*
International trade agreements
Law Careers discusses the role of the Law Society in ensuring that UK lawyers have access to foreign legal services markets, such as Malaysia, Japan and Greece.
Property form
Today’s Conveyancer interviews the head of the Property Lawyers Action Group (PLAG), Stephen Larcombe, in which he says the Law Society “let down” members over the TA6 form updates, decried efforts on the part of legal regulators to enforce transparency as being ‘off the back of broken regulation’ and calls into question the ‘integrity’ of the sector’s representative bodies.
Professional indemnity insurance
Insurance Edge examines professional indemnity insurance case law and notes the Law Society is empowered by the Solicitors Act 1974 to make rules requiring solicitors to maintain professional indemnity insurance and to specify the terms of cover.
Chinese law firm
Practice Source covers Chinese law firm Yingke’s visit to the Law Society, as it opened its first London office this week. The firm aims to open 15 European offices by 2026.
President Nick Emmerson said that Yingke’s launch in London was a “cause for celebration.”
Also worth a read:
- UK government settles legal aid fee dispute with immigration lawyers, pledging to make a decision on whether to raise fees for immigration and asylum legal aid work by November – FT (£)
- Recent legal aid statistics reveal a growing demand for legal services – Solicitors Journal
- Court of Appeal closes off any hopes of re-opening payment protection insurance claims – Legal Futures
- National Lottery to provide £30m to the Improving Live Through Advice grant programme, which helps fund frontline legal advice charities - Gazette
- New equality rules will not affect the cab-rank rule and will not lead to quotas – Legal Futures
- New research uncovers more than one million passwords linked to UK law firms on the dark web – Legal Cheek
- British judge Nicholas Phillips steps down from Hong Kong court - Guardian
- Nadhim Zahawi’s lawyers ‘breached code to stifle HMRC revelations’ – Guardian
- Bar Standards Board seeks to ‘allay misconceptions’ about diversity duty – A Lawyer writes