Nick Hilborne

3 days ago | legalfutures.co.uk | Nick Hilborne

The proportion of consumers using solicitors for their wills has dropped below half for the first time, a report has found, with unbundling growing in popularity. However, demand for advice on powers of attorney is continuing to grow, with 22% of consumers using these services, up from 18% last year.

1 week ago | legalfutures.co.uk | Nick Hilborne

A law firm which specialises in defending clients accused of sexual offences has been fined £60,000 after a cyber-attack saw “highly sensitive” details of 682 clients published on the dark web. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said confidential information relating to 109 experts was also exposed. DPP Law only became aware of the data breach when it was contacted by the National Crime Agency (NCA), and did not notify the ICO until 43 days after the cyber-attack in June 2022.

2 weeks ago | legalfutures.co.uk | Nick Hilborne

The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) is to increase its budget by £2m or 11.4%, having received fierce criticism of its initial plan for a 10.2% rise. But it would have been even more, 13.4%, had the Legal Services Board (LSB) not refused to approve provision made for publishing summaries of all ombudsman decisions in a bid to improve transparency. At the same time, LeO has put on hold plans to double to £800 the case fee paid by law firms which fail to take reasonable steps to resolve complaints.

2 weeks ago | legalfutures.co.uk | Nick Hilborne

The Bar Council has transferred delivery of the Bar Sustainability Network (BSN) from itself to Achill Legal, a consultancy that specialises in running carbon-cutting initiatives across the legal profession. Amanda Carpenter, chief executive of Achill Legal and the new director of BSN, said despite the pressure put on large international law firms by US president Donald Trump, she sensed “no rowing back” on sustainability commitments by UK law firms or chambers.

2 weeks ago | legalfutures.co.uk | Nick Hilborne

Poor-quality immigration legal aid work is having “devastating consequences” for clients and shifting an “enormous – and often unmet – burden” onto the wider non-profit advice sector, a report has found. It said bodies that regulate legally aided immigration work, such as the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and Legal Aid Agency (LAA), were “frequently cited” by lawyers and clients as “causes of confusion or indeed conflict rather than support”, in ensuring good-quality representation.