Home-grown brands such as Saga and The AA have already thrown their lines in the legal services water and The Co-op has made no secret of its intention to develop its own legal offering. Over the summer a number of non-UK enterprises raised the stakes when they declared their interest in the online legal services market. US start-up LegalZoom raised $66m from venture capitalists Kleiner Perkins and Institutional Venture Partners and its founders have made a number of trips to Britain in recent months. It already has a reported annual turnover of $100m and is preparing for stock market flotation.
Do those without a legal interest in the homes they live in – such as spouses, partners and children – have a right to bring a private nuisance claim? Gregory Jones QC and Rebecca Clutten investigate
High-net-worth individuals seeking solace from the Gaines-Cooper ruling will be tempted to look at the forthcoming new statutory residence test, but even that will impose strict conditions on tax exiles, say David Anderson and Andinee Pillay Jagambrun
Far from being a victory for the Independent Schools Council, the Upper Tribunal ruling on the interpretation of the 'public benefit' test vindicates the Charity Commission's careful approach to the letter of the law, says Alice Holt
What a relief for the profession. Judging by the number of applications for law courses, its future is safe. Graduate interest in law is still measured in thousands this year, with 13,139 applications, according to UCAS's latest figures. That's fewer than last year, for sure, which recorded 13,858 applications for law courses, but the drop is only 5.2 per cent – much better than the 7.9 per cent average across all subjects combined.
I recently caught myself saying into a digital dictation microphone my standard phrase with which I have for years now wrapped up my recordings as a clear sign off: “Thanks that's the end of that tape.†Tape. Tape? What even is one of those? I vaguely recall the days of handing physical files to secretaries with a tiny tape in its little clip-on holder attached to the front of them. The tapes were easily mislaid, quickly wiped/recorded over in error and have thankfully now been consigned to history in favour of digital files.
Magic circle firm DLA Piper has thrown its hat in the ABS ring by buying a minority share in LawVest Ltd, a company set up only last week to deploy “a market disrupting brand†to exploit the opportunities offered by changes to the legal services market.
