The Law Society has continued it’s vocal support of solicitors in the midst of the UK riots after legal professionals and firms have become the target of threats, with one firm closing it’s doors after

By Charlotte, Legal Services Director at Kings Court Trust 9 August 2024 When considering the role of an Executor, many people underestimate the complexity and responsibilities involved in administering an estate. This oversight can lead

A list of solicitors firms and names of individuals have been shared as ‘targets’ as the outbreak of unrest and disorder has continued to hit headlines. Police came under attack across cities across the UK,

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A top 60 UK law firm that was founded in 2009 is changing it’s name this month to ‘reflect the company’s success in unifying business’. Taylor Rose MW, who have merged with Tucker Turner, Kingsley

Residential Service Charge Issues – Tuesday 3rd September (Ian Quayle) 1 hour session £55 Find out more about the course details here: https://todayslegaltraining.co.uk/webinar/residential-service-charge-issues/   The Trust Register – the need to knows in 2024 –

Legal companies are among the best performing businesses for customer care and low call waiting times, according to new research. The survey of 1000 people by leading outsourced comms company Moneypenny revealed that just 6% of survey respondents feel legal firms have poor call handling times – compared with utility companies (33%) doctors (27%), banks (25%) and phone companies (21%).  The best performing businesses of all were estate and letting agents at 5%. The findings also revealed that 85% of people believe UK businesses are blaming long call and live chat wait times on Covid, despite being almost a year into the pandemic. The average wait time for calls and live chat requests was also revealed  - 18% of said they have to wait 1-5 minutes and 23% have to wait 5-10 minutes, while 6% have to wait 45-60 minutes and 19% typically give up waiting altogether. While the survey shows that 55% of people believe some phone delays are acceptable due to Covid  there were some notable sector, age and regional differences. 73% of 16-24 year olds said phone answering delays are acceptable, compared with 45% of over 55 year olds. 61% of those in Greater London said phone answering delays are acceptable, compared with 42% in the North East and 48% in the South East. Welsh customers are most likely to give up waiting for their call to be answered (22%), compared with those least likely to in Yorkshire (12%) and the South East (14%). Bernadette Bennett is the Head of Legal Sector for Moneypenny, which handles calls and live chats for more than 1,000 law firms in the UK. She said: “Since the start of the pandemic we’ve seen a marked increase in the number of legal firms calling on outsourcing call handling and live chat support because they recognise the importance of accessibility for their clients, particularly during such worrying and uncertain times. Improving customer care has been a real priority for legal firms over the last decade so it’s great to see it recognised in these findings.” Group CEO of Moneypenny, Joanna Swash said: “Businesses that say unprecedented demand due to Covid is the reason for long wait times are essentially telling customers they are not important – and our data shows that customers recognise this.  Meeting demand is imperative to business survival, now more than ever. “It’s interesting that legal and property companies were least likely to be mentioned for poor answering times and we know from our clients in these sectors that they prioritise good customer service. However, the survey shows that the pandemic is being used as a scapegoat for poor customer care.” She added: “Even with reduced staff through redundancies and furloughing, there are so many cost effective solutions available to ensure customer calls and live chat can continue, it’s not good enough for companies to reduce service levels an expect customers to be happy.  As businesses open up there is a real danger that customers will vote with their feet and move to a competitor if poor service levels continue.” Moneypenny handles more than 2 million legal calls and live chats each year for more than 1,000 legal firms in the UK, including 60 of the Top 200, thanks to its dedicated team of 60 legal PAs. Established in 2000, Moneypenny is the world's market leader for telephone answering, live chat, outsourced switchboard and customer contact solutions. In total, more than 13,000 businesses across the UK benefit from Moneypenny’s mix of extraordinary people and ground-breaking technology. For more information about Moneypenny’s work with the legal sector, visit: https://www.moneypenny.com/uk/legal-answering-services/ This article was submitted to be published by Moneypenny as part of their advertising agreement with Today’s Conveyancer. The views expressed in this article are those of the submitter and not those of Today’s Conveyancer.

A growing listed legal services consolidator Knights has acquired a full service firm in the West Midlands for £12.5m. The acquisition of Thursfields, who have offices in Birmingham, Kidderminster, Solihull and Worcester has added over

A popular anti-virus software called Crowdstrike is said to be responsible for a global outage which has caused issues with transport services in the UK and the NHS – initially thought to be connected to

King Charles should pay inheritance tax

At the state opening of parliament, the King announced in his speech that pensions will be boosted by £11K and the new government will seek to improve NHS services, however there was no comment on

Today the Legal Services Consumer Panel released the results of it’s 2024 Tracker Survey reports on how consumers are utilising legal services. The survey found that a third (33 per cent) of clients wouldn’t trust

Utilita Energy is investing in the latest bereavement technology to make life easier for customers and those handling the affairs of a customer who has died. Utilita has today revealed that it is enhancing its

The UK’s leading whole of market equity release group, Equity Release Group (ERG), has announced a new partnership with Responsible Lending, the exclusive providers of the Royal London Equity Release product range, earlier this week.

The UK‘s funeral industry has had a surge in funeral directors in the last decade due to a ‘lack of regulation’, with one in five people in England and Wales over the age of 65

Aura Life has announced that its Compliance Team has been named as the Winner of the SME Compliance Team of the Year at the ICA Compliance Awards 2024. The ICA Compliance Awards are held to

  A court has been asked to seize funds of a Russian oligarch for the first time by the National Crime Agency(NCA), after the organisation claimed the £1.1million fortune is the ‘proceeds of crime’. The

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Cheltenham-based law firm, Frank Smith & Co Solicitors, has expanded its wills, trusts and probate department with two new hires, following substantial growth over the last year. The firm, which has grown by 35% in

Professional probate applications must now be submitted online

A UK law firm, Frank Smith & Co Solicitors, has expanded its wills, trusts and probate department with two new hires, following substantial growth over the last year. The firm, which has grown by 35%

After a Labour government was elected last week the Law society has congratulated the new Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for their victory and others in the sector have proposed Inheritance Tax (IHT) reconsideration. A

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The Law Society has said that firms ‘should continue to be able to operate client accounts, as they are vital for the effective delivery of many legal services’, in response to the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s

In response to the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) consultation on the proposed rise to the Compensation Fund levy, the Law Society of England and Wales has expressed serious concerns about the impact this could have

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A Lincolnshire law firm, W&P Legal, has formed a partnership with local Estate Agents, The Sharman Quinney Group, part of The Connells Group, t’o ensure home owners are keeping their Wills up to date to

Money laundering fines reach record high

The Law Society have said that HM Treasury should ensure that changes to the Money Laundering Regulations (MLRs) should not place disproportionate and unnecessary obligations on the legal profession. In response to a consultation on

Trust and Estate Practitioner STEP have responded to the HM Treasury’s consultation regarding anti-money laundering(AML) saying a legitimate interest test should apply when applicants seek access to information regarding trusts. The Treasury’s consultation on improving

The executive director of a British tobacco company has sought police protection as he is embroiled in an escalating inheritance dispute with his family. Samir Modi, who heads the Godfrey Phillips tobacco empire which was

Concerning statistics that have suggested elderly people who are target of phone scams may ‘die within a year’ or go into care – has prompted a company to pioneer a digital voice service using AI

An Employment Judge has spoken about how she will celebrate Eid-al-Adha, and her full interview can be read on HM Courts and Tribunals where she reveals how the depth of tradition has been blended with

As the Conservative Party manifesto was unveiled today with flourish at the Silverstone race track, promises to tax cuts and pay workers fairly were among some of the promises made by the Prime Minister. This

Pensioners urged to apply for pension credit

A quarter of those with mortgages over the age of 55 say that worries about payments are impacting their mental health. Later life finance firm Key, who deals with wills and LPAs, say their research

Ahead of the election the UK Reform Party is promising to abolish grief and inheritance tax (IHT) for estates under £2M in their contract. The working draft manifesto, which was released on Monday, is being

An independent review of the regulatory actions of the Solicitors Regulation Authority(SRA) in the lead up to the collapse of Sheffield law firm SSB has been delayed due to the election. This comes after clients

Scammers Taking Advantage Of Covid-19 Crisis

As the general election draws closer, cyber security specialists have issued warnings about a potential surge in scams targeting the British public – especially the elderly. Historically, significant political events have been ‘fertile ground for

Equity release expected to reach £5.6bn this year

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has today published a consultation on its business plan and budget for next year, which includes a proposed rise in contributions to the Compensation Fund, in a move the Law