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No more flying solo?

12 January 2022
Issue: 7962 / Categories: Legal News , Profession , Insurance / reinsurance
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Sole practitioners are swapping private practice for consultancy at larger firms in increasing numbers due to rising professional indemnity insurance (PII) premiums, research shows

Solicitors Regulation Authority figures show the number of sole practitioners dropped by 5% in the past six months alone. A LexisNexisreport, ‘Bellwether 2021: The good, the bad and the new’, revealed PII has risen by an average of 30% among small and medium firms in one year, with two-thirds of respondents identifying PII as among the biggest threats to their firm.

Adrian Jaggard, CEO at Taylor Rose MW, which has more than doubled its number of consultant solicitors to about 350 in the past year, said: ‘Increasing PII premiums have particularly impacted smaller firms and sole practitioners and it is having a marked impact on their appetite to keep operating independently.

‘We are seeing a lot of experienced solicitors who no longer want the responsibilities of compliance and increasing operating costs, and instead are seeking the relative security and freedom of operating as consultants.’

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Sports, education and charities practice welcomes senior associate

Ellisons—Carla Jones

Ellisons—Carla Jones

Partner and head of commercial litigation joins in Chelmsford

Freeths—Louise Mahon

Freeths—Louise Mahon

Firm strengthens Glasgow corporate practice with partner hire

NEWS
One in five in-house lawyers suffer ‘high’ or ‘severe’ work-related stress, according to a report by global legal body, the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)
The Legal Ombudsman’s (LeO’s) plea for a budget increase has been rejected by the Law Society and accepted only ‘with reluctance’ by conveyancers
Overcrowded prisons, mental health hospitals and immigration centres are failing to meet international and domestic human rights standards, the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) has warned
Two speedier and more streamlined qualification routes have been launched for probate and conveyancing professionals
Workplace stress was a contributing factor in almost one in eight cases before the employment tribunal last year, indicating its endemic grip on the UK workplace
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