With the LSB failing to make an emphatic decision on referral fees, the debate is sure to drone on. But short of government intervention, what can be done? And does it matter anyway with ABSs hovering on the horizon? Lawyers on the frontline state their case
When the ABS era arrives, many law firms will struggle to compete with the flawless customer service offered by the big non-legal brands – but it's not too late to improve standards, says Andrew Morton
When Russell Conway wrote a column asking what the point of the Pro Bono Centre's shiny new office on Chancery Lane was, he hit a nerve. Can the centre's chief executive, Rebecca Hilsenrath, talk him round?
I had put off typing up this column until I was certain that the world would not come to an apocalyptic end on 21 May. No, not the launch of ABSs, but the day of 'Rapture' predicted by Harold Camping, an American (of course) evangelical broadcaster who, at 89 years old, is perhaps closer to his day of judgment than most of his fanatical followers.
There were protests across the country today during the 'Justice for All' day of action, as the government prepared to unveil a legal aid bill containing what many expect to be drastic cuts.
The SRA board has asked the group of experts set up to design a quality advocacy assurance scheme for all criminal advocates to reconsider some of the rules amid concerns that judges carrying out advocate assessment could be biased against solicitors.
