header-logo header-logo

SRA reforms: for better, for worse?

28 June 2018
Issue: 7799 / Categories: Legal News , Regulatory
printer mail-detail

John Gould, senior partner at Russell-Cooke LLP, takes the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to task this week in NLJ over its proposals for greater transparency. The SRA’s ‘Better Information, more choice’ reforms would require law firms to publish pricing and protection information on their website. Gould asks, however, if clients really will be better off. He says ‘pricing the permutations of transactions hypothetically on a website may lead to even greater complexity’. Moreover, ‘the more prescriptive the published price information requirement, the stronger the commercial pressure will be to shoe-horn services into product packages and to quote seemingly attractive prices subject to small print and “extras”’.

Issue: 7799 / Categories: Legal News , Regulatory
printer mail-details

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Muckle LLP—Phoebe Gogarty

Muckle LLP—Phoebe Gogarty

North East firm welcomes employment specialist

Browne Jacobson—Colette Withey

Browne Jacobson—Colette Withey

Partner joins commercial and technology practice

Ellisons—Lizzy Firmin

Ellisons—Lizzy Firmin

Chief operating officer joins equity partnership

NEWS
In this week's NLJ, Sophie Houghton of LexisPSL distils the key lesson from recent costs cases: if you want to exceed guideline hourly rates (GHR), you must prove why
With chronic underfunding and rising demand leaving thousands without legal help, technology could transform access to justice—if handled wisely, writes Professor Sue Prince of the University of Exeter in this week's NLJ
NLJ columnist Stephen Gold dives into the quirks of civil practice, from the Court of Appeal’s fierce defence of form N510 to fresh reminders about compliance and interest claims, in this week's Civil Way
Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB) has restated a fundamental truth, writes John Gould, chair of Russell-Cooke, in this week's NLJ: only authorised persons can conduct litigation. The decision sparked alarm, but Gould stresses it merely confirms the Legal Services Act 2007
The government’s decision to make the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) the Single Professional Services Supervisor marks a watershed in the UK’s fight against money laundering, says Rebecca Hughes of Corker Binning in this week's NLJ. The FCA will now oversee 60,000 firms across legal and accountancy sectors—a massive expansion of remit that raises questions over resources and readiness 
back-to-top-scroll