SRA quietly announces delay to SQE students’ qualification
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) have surreptitiously announced that some SQE students’ qualification will be delayed by seven months. The announcement was made during a Q&A webinar regarding the results of the first batch of exams, with no formal announcement either before or since. Students who take their first exam (SQE1) in July 2022 will […]
Major UK law firm becomes first to accept payments in cryptocurrency
gunnercooke has announced it is now accepting payment for legal and professional services via cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum and Bitcoin, in a move believed to be the first for a major law firm in the UK. Such payments are being accepted in a growing number of professional industries, but there are currently no major players […]
New online service will accompany changes to divorce law
A new online service for applying for a divorce will be available from 6 April 2022. Couples must apply under the current law by 31st March 2022 or wait for the changes to come into force. Changes to divorce law The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 reforms the legal requirements and process for divorce. […]
Ombudsman to reduce time limit for complaints
The Legal Ombudsman has launched a consultation on proposals to reduce the timeframe in which clients can make complaints about solicitors. Currently complaints are permitted within six years of a mistake, or within three years of discovering a problem that may require investigation. Under new proposals these timeframes would be reduced to just one year. […]
Law Society: the SRA must not ditch SIF
In a rare move, the Law Society has united with the Legal Services Consumer Panel (LSCP) to oppose plans by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to close the Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF), a step which would see consumer protection weakened. The SRA wants to close SIF, effectively ending long-term protection for consumers, with nothing to […]
Record growth for UK’s £10.1 billion cyber security sector
The latest figures from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) reveal that revenue generated by the UK’s 1,838 cyber security firms rose by 14% to £10.1 billion over the last financial year. The DCMS Annual Cyber Sector Report, which tracks the growth and performance of the UK’s cyber security industry, reveals the […]
NFJO finds 462% increase in child deprivation of liberty applications
Research conducted by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory (NFJO) reveals that the number of applications to the High Court to deprive children of their liberty in unregulated settings has increased by 462% over three years. Following a request to Cafcass, NFJO have been able to reveal the startling rise in the use of this special […]
At least one in 10 children in care have unresolved immigration issues
At least one in 10 children in care and more than 10,000 young care leavers in England have unresolved immigration or citizenship issues, according to new research published today by South London Refugee Association and Coram Children’s Legal Centre. Without better immigration support from local authorities, these children face uncertain and unsafe futures. The scale […]
Domestic abuse victims: more support and consultation launched
Domestic abuse victims and their children will receive extra support to help them rebuild their lives in a safe environment, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has announced. A further £125 million will be handed to councils across England to make sure safe accommodation spaces, such as refuges and shelters, can provide victims with vital […]
Confusion over family court attendance clarified
Sir Andrew McFarlane, the president of the Family Division, has clarified arrangements for physical attendance in court following confusion over an earlier announcement. Confusion arose when Sir Andrew McFarlane issued a message to practitioners stating that the first hearing notice for any applications issued in the Family Division after 1 March will be listed as […]
Law Society: SRA proposal to increase fines “not appropriate”
The Law Society have warned that a proposal by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to hike its own fining powers from £2,000 to £25,000 is not appropriate. In November, the Law Society sought consultation on three proposals: to increase their maximum fining power from £2,000 to £25,000; to take into account the turnover or income […]
Law Society Group: 2021 gender pay gap report
The Law Society Group has published its gender pay gap report for 2021. The report includes the combined results of the Law Society of England and Wales and the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), which operates independently. The report shows that the 2021 median pay gap between men and women is 11.3%, lower than the current […]
SRA issues guidance on healthy work environments
New resources providing law firms with support and guidance on creating healthy working environments have been issued by the SRA, coinciding with the publication of a review into what solicitors say about the culture in their existing workplaces. Based on a survey of around 200 solicitors, plus feedback from range of stakeholders, the SRA Workplace Culture […]
Divorce rate drops by 4.5%
Recently published Office for National Statistics divorce rate figures reveal a 4.5% decrease in the number of divorces completed in 2020 compared with 2019. Statistics show that in 2020, there were 103,592 divorces granted in England and Wales, a decrease of 4.5% compared with 2019. Of these divorces the vast majority were among opposite-sex couples […]
Government issues brief on humanist marriages
The Law Commission has provisionally proposed a framework that could allow non‑religious belief organisations, such as humanists, to conduct legally binding marriage ceremonies, as part of a wider consultation on reform of the law relating to how and where marriages can take place. The government has said it will decide how to proceed in light […]
Organisations awarded £1.4 million for domestic abuse research
The Home Office has announced the 21 organisations who have been successful in securing funding for research projects on perpetrators of domestic abuse. The £1.4 million funding will support 21 projects that build on existing research and aim to cover gaps in areas where there is limited knowledge, including interpersonal abuse in adolescent relationships, suicides […]
MOJ to create 2,000 jobs across England and Wales
Seven new regional Ministry of Justice (MOJ) offices will be opened across England and Wales, the Deputy Prime Minister has announced, as the government continues to level up communities. The new Justice Collaboration Centres will be launched alongside a series of satellite offices as the government’s Places for Growth programme continues to move civil service roles […]
Law Society issues response to levelling up whitepaper
The Law Society of England and Wales has issued a response to the government’s Levelling Up whitepaper, which was unveiled by Michael Gove last week. “The government will struggle to achieve its levelling up mission without a properly funded justice system”, said the Law Society in a press statement last week. It noted that the […]
SRA: diversity in the profession is improving, “but more to do”
Diversity within law firms is continuing to slowly improve year-on-year, with smaller firms increasingly more diverse than larger ones. These are among the key findings published by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) following its latest collection of diversity data from more than 8,700 law firms employing more than 180,000 people across England and Wales. There […]
Free online event from Clio: how to improve client intake at your firm
Changing client expectations and staff expectations call for a shift in the client intake process for law firms. With hybrid and remote working more common, and with consumers expecting to do more online, how law firms approach client intake can be crucial to success. If you are still relying on spreadsheets or paper-based client intake […]