The Legal Ombudsman has hit crisis point again after it was forced to backtrack on its request for a 20% budget rise, with the Legal Services Board describing its performance as unacceptable. The post Budget rejection lays bare Legal Ombudsman crisis appeared first on Legal Futures.

A defunct Italian law firm that operated in London has been ordered by the High Court to pay €3.5m to investors in a failed holiday development that allegedly had links to the Mafia. The post Negligent firm ordered to pay €3.5m to property investors appeared first on Legal Futures.

The proportion of solicitors who attended state schools is creeping upwards, but those who went to fee-paying schools dominate corporate work, according to the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The post Privately educated lawyers dominate corporate work appeared first on Legal Futures.

A law firm in Wiltshire is offering a ‘Wills through a window’ service as law firms look for ways to execute wills validly amidst a spike in demand due to the coronavirus pandemic. The post Firms launches ‘will through a window’ service appeared first on Legal Futures.

Organisations representing conveyancers have joined forces to issue guidance on handling matters during the coronavirus pandemic, including how to vary completion dates. The post Conveyancing groups issue contract variation guidance appeared first on Legal Futures.

A project has gone live enabling the global justice community to share experiences of developing remote alternatives to physical court hearings in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The post Lawyers and HMCTS launch remote hearings resource appeared first on Legal Futures.

William Gordon, 34, targeted woman in Elephant and Castle shortly after prison releaseA serial sexual predator has been jailed for eight years for stalking and sexually assaulting a woman while on licence.William Gordon, 34, had previous convictions for molesting females as young as 12 and had only recently been released from jail when he targeted […]

Lord Sumption criticises Derbyshire police for stopping people exercising in Peak DistrictCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA former supreme court justice has heavily criticised Derbyshire police for stopping people exercising in the Peak District saying that such behaviour risks plunging Britain into a “police state”.Lord Sumption warned that police had no legal power […]

Gordon Jackson refers himself to legal watchdog after being filmed on trainScotland’s most senior lawyer, who defended Alex Salmond at his sexual assault trial, has referred himself to the country’s legal watchdog after footage emerged that appears to show him identifying the complainants on a busy commuter train.Last week a jury at the high court […]

Coronavirus has given President Yoweri Museveni an opportunity to further clamp down on freedoms In Uganda, for the first time since 2013, more than three people can legally meet without needing to inform the police. Last week, parts of the Public Order Management Act, a law used to gag political opponents, was declared unconstitutional. But […]

The row between Oxford University and the students who ‘disinvited’ Amber Rudd highlights the illiberalism on both sides of the argumentThis month, the former home secretary Amber Rudd was invited to give a speech to UN Women Oxford UK, an Oxford University student society, to celebrate International Women’s Day. Thirty minutes before the event, Rudd […]

Crisis measures often become permanent – it’s up to us to ensure our democracy stays safeFear is pushing us into a dictatorial future. The only choice is what type of dictatorship. For now, we live with the dictatorship of a lockdown that imposes curbs on our freedom to work, move and socialise that are beyond […]