By Julius Melnitzer | August 20, 2024
IT’S GETTING RISKY TO THREATEN LITIGATION
The Law Society Gazette reports that the Solicitors Regulation Authority has decided to prosecute one of the UK’s top media lawyers, Christopher Hutchings of London firm Hamlins LLP, for making false or misleading claims and improperly threatening litigation during a phone call regarding a client’s contempt of court proceedings. The SRA has certified that there is a case to answer, but the allegations are unproven and Hutchings says he intends to contest the charges.
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CREDITORS LOSE $1.42 BILLION IN LIBERALIZED LEGAL SERVICES MARKET
Unsecured creditors have lost more than $1.42 billion since the UK liberalized its legal services market in 2012 by permitting external ownership in the form of alternative business structures. According to The Law Society Gazette, only a “tiny fraction” of the losses has been repaid or “is ever likely to be repaid”. Among the more notable failures is the insolvency of SSB Law, which worked exclusively on a contingency basis, leaving unsecured creditors some $252 million in the hole.
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LAWYERS QUIT TWITTER OVER MUSK POSTS
A slew of lawyers, offended by Elon Musk’s posts that stoked racial tensions during the recent UK riots, have either quite Twitter (now “X”) or have announced they will stop posting. While The Law Society Gazette‘s list of those who did so is composed of individuals, albeit some with more than 150,000 followers, there is at least one law firm – Welwyn Garden City’s Crane and Staples – included in the group.
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SUPERB PRIMER ON CRYTO TAXATION
Everyone interested in crypto taxation, from legal experts to businesses who are stakeholders in the field, should read Case Study: Canadian Crypto-Tax Lawyers Save Bitcoin Millionaire from Criminal Prosecution for Tax Evasion. The article, which is the work of Toronto tax lawyer David Rotfleisch of Toronto’s Rotfleisch & Samulovitch P.C. is a tightly-written, reader-friendly primer on the relevant issues in what is a complex and evolving arena. Too bad more lawyers don’t write like this.
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JAPAN MAKES REGISTRATION EASIER FOR FOREIGN LAWYERS
The US$5 billion Japanese legal services market which, The Law Society Gazette reports. is “one of the most open in Asia”, has nonethless been daunting for law firms seeking to play there. The primary problem is the lengthy registration process that’s inhibited all but 448 foreign lawyers from signing on. Fortunately, the system has recently been streamlined by, among other things, allowing law firms to reuse employer-related documents. International law firms, regulators and the UK Justice Minister have all lauded the changes.
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Julius Melnitzer is a Toronto-based legal affairs writer, ghostwriter, writing coach and media trainer. Readers can reach him at [email protected] or https://legalwriter.net/contact.