As of last week, the UK is no longer part of the European Union: however, despite months of headlines, multiple forecasts, and mounting uncertainty, it feels for many that it was a blink-and-you-miss-it moment. Leading finance firm, Salhan Accountants, is warning businesses that this may well be the calm before the storm, and failure to… Read more…

Dr. Anjulika Salhan has won the English Women’s Award for the second year in a row for her contributions to Finance and Accountancy. This glamorous event, celebrating female successes took place in Birmingham’s Holiday Inn Airport (NEC) Hotel on Thursday, November 21st 2019. The Awards honoured the talent and hard work of female professionals and… Read more…

The Law Society of England and Wales is considering the restoration of state-funding for early legal advice, which it says could resolve problems “sooner” and save the public purse. A large proportion of funding for state-funded legal advice, known as legal aid, was removed when the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) came… Read more…

Money laundering is one of the greatest threats to the legal profession, according to a new Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) report. Its Risk Outlook, published annually, looks at the key risks to law firms so that preventative measures can be planned and implemented. Earlier this year, the National Risk Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist… Read more…

A damning new report has raised concerns that many commercial law firms are failing to deliver value for money to their clients, and are often struggling to stick to pre-agreed budgets. Nisus Consulting, which published the research, found that clients said their solicitors only met or exceeded their expectations on value for money in half… Read more…

Concerns have been raised that solicitors and law firms could face huge tax bills, after a First-Tier Tribunal ruled that VAT is payable in relation to electronic local authority property searches carried out by third-party firms. In the case in question, the Tribunal said that the searches should not have been treated as disbursements, and… Read more…

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is calling on law firms to take care not to charge “excessive fees,” particularly in relation to undertaking work in relation to the mis-selling of payment protection insurance (PPI). The calls come at a time when consumers are being urged to open and settle claims sooner rather than later, after… Read more…

A far-reaching new study assessing client service in the legal sector has laid out a number of recommendations for law firms who deliver Private Client services to elderly and vulnerable consumers. The Legal Services Board (LSB) recently surveyed 60 elderly and mentally ill legal services consumers to determine what they thought of the services they… Read more…

As part of Scams Awareness Month this July, HM Land Registry has been issuing important email reminders to solicitors and conveyancers stressing the importance of being on the lookout for so-called ‘property fraud’ – which can result in significant financial losses. The email reminders follow a series of leaflets recently issued to law and conveyancing… Read more…

Conveyancers have enjoyed a significant boost in revenue in recent years, thanks to a highly competitive mortgage market, an increase in the number of first-time buyers getting on the property ladder and the willingness of buyers to pay more in conveyancing fees. According to new research carried out by Post Office Money, the average cost… Read more…