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Remembrance of things past & present

27 June 2019 / Roderick Ramage
Issue: 7846 / Categories: Opinion , Regulatory , Profession , Legal services
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None of us should be surprised by the recurring threat of outside competition, says Roderick Ramage

Can companies be trusted? It depends. Fifteen years ago, the questions were: (i) What did Sir David Clementi say in his final report on his Review of the Regulatory Framework for Legal Services in England and Wales? and (ii) What will be the consequences?

To the first Sir David answered, between the lines, that commercial incentives rather than ethics should be relied on to uphold professional standards. To the second, Parliament enacted the Legal Services Act 2007, by which alternative business structures (ABSs), in which the ownership of law firms could be split from their management, so that a law firm with outside equity investors or an existing business (eg Tesco, the RAC, the Co-op, accountancy firms), may be registered and authorised to practise the law as solicitors. The questions that might be asked now are: (i) What has happened? and (ii) Does it matter?

Corporations & individuals

Law and morals are

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
The Court of Protection has ruled in Macpherson v Sunderland City Council that capacity must be presumed unless clearly rebutted. In this week's NLJ, Sam Karim KC and Sophie Hurst of Kings Chambers dissect the judgment and set out practical guidance for advisers faced with issues relating to retrospective capacity and/or assessments without an examination
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
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