When outcomes focused regulation is adopted next year, the SRA's power to impose conditions on practising certificates is likely to increase – bringing both comfort and concern, says Susanna Heley
It may be early days for the third-party funding industry, but it has already generated plenty of hype and provoked extensive debate. Jon Robins questions those on the frontline about its potential to improve the system
The green paper post-mortem paints a bleak picture of what civil legal aid provision will look like if the MoJ gets its way. For firms intent on continuing to provide legal aid services, the proposed ten per cent fee cut will slice such a large chunk off their thin profit margins that their very existence will be in question, possibly leaving only large volume suppliers in that space. Some sectors are already predicting that practices will have to turn away half of their clients, making substantial restructures, redundancies and closures a distinct possibility. So, as firms begin to digest the details of the coalition's consultation on legal aid cuts, the worst hit offer a snapshot of what their services may look like come the revolution.
Ben Brayford and Eugene McMahon consider the recent OFT guidance on land agreements, what recent case law tells us about tenants' break clauses and a ruling on how to fend off a fixtures and fittings dispute
The new regime for the Patents County Court should improve the process for handling intellectual property disputes – but efficient court management will be vital to its success, says Patrick Wheeler
