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A hard Act to follow

18 June 2009 / Simon Young
Issue: 7374 / Categories: Features , Legal services , Profession
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Part two: Simon Young reports on the pick & mix approach of the Legal Services Act 2009

The first article in this short series looked at the various institutions created by the Legal Services Act 2007 (LSA 2007) (see NLJ, 17 April 2009, p 554).This second offering deals with the first practical opportunity for changing businesses under LSA 2007, namely legal disciplinary practices (LDPs); the third will look at the ultimate in opening up of the legal services market, alternative business structures (ABSs).

The concept of LDPs was one first raised by Sir David Clementi, in his seminal report: Review of the Regulatory Framework for Legal Services in England and Wales. The final nature of them, however, went through substantial change in the last few days of political horse trading before the Legal Services Bill was passed into law late in 2007. The concept is simple, but its working out in practice is not.

Services on offer

At base, the idea is that businesses providing legal services need not only

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

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In this week's NLJ, Steven Ball of Red Lion Chambers unpacks how advances in forensic science finally unmasked Ryland Headley, jailed in 2025 for the 1967 rape and murder of 75-year-old Louisa Dunne. Preserved swabs and palm prints lay dormant for decades until DNA-17 profiling produced a billion-to-one match
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
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