Staffordshire law firms Ansons Solicitors and Hinckley Birch & Brown Solicitorshave announced their merger. The two Lichfield firms will now trade as Ansons Solicitors and operate from Ansons Solicitors’. Ansons Solicitors was set up in 2004 and employs 50 people, including six partners across its two offices in Cannock and Lichfield. Simon James, senior partner at Ansons Solicitors said the deal would help with plans to expand services. He said: “We continually strive for improvement and our mission has always been to be the leading full service law firm within the region.  This merger is another step towards our objectives and marks the start of a very exciting period for us.”

A leading Scottish law firm has revealed an upturn in profits following its decision to delay taking on new graduates.

Ledingham Chalmers have recorded £3.4 million in profits, a 4 per cent increase on last year. Revenues for the Scottish firm slipped slightly to £9.2 million, a drop of 1 per cent.

However, as with the majority of law firms, Ledingham Chalmers have suffered from a slowdown in transaction related work as the challenging economic climate continues to bite.

Commenting on the latest set of figures, Chairman David Lang revealed:

"Business commentators cannot agree on the ‘shape’ of the recession and recovery and whether we can expect a double dip.

“Our own experience is that transactional activity is showing itself slow to return to the levels we have known.”

Lang revealed a decision to delay taking on new graduates for a year has helped the firm thrive during the credit crunch. 2009 graduates were asked to wait for a year before starting their career at the firm, a decision that Laing believes helped Ledingham Chalmers avoid making redundancies:

“In a year when many organisations had to permanently reduce staff numbers we were able to avoid this kind of action.”

Solicitors are experiencing a sharp rise in the number of people seeking legal advice as to whether they have a case for unfair dismissal against their employers, despite the latest official figures last week showing a drop in unemployment.

Contact Law, a find-a-solicitor service that refers legal enquiries to more than 5,000 solicitors around the UK, says it recorded a 15% increase in the number of people seeking employment-related legal advice in July, compared with the previous month. June saw only a 1% increase in employment-related legal advice enquiries compared with May. Likewise, May figures were up just 3% on April.

Dan Watkins, a director of Contact Law, said the increase in legal claims would put further strain on businesses already struggling with the effects of the recession. "The sharp rise in employment-related legal enquiries in July is a shot across the bows to all UK employers, in both the public and private sector," he said. "We all know about the economic and financial pressures facing Britain's companies, but the next chapter could be the legal issues facing them as more assertive employees look to take legal action."

Of the enquiries to Contact Law in July that were referred to a qualified employment lawyer, four out of 10 were from people who had already lost their jobs, claiming to have been dismissed either unfairly or constructively, and one in five were from people who had been, or were about to be, made redundant.

While last week's figures showed UK employment levels recording their biggest jump since 1989 in the three months to June, many analysts warned they masked a gloomy outlook for the labour market. A recent survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and accountants KPMG showed that 32% of employers across the state and private sectors expected to make some workers redundant during the next three months, a rise of 3% on the previous quarter.

The latest edition of Nationwide's monthly consumer confidence index, which reflects how people feel about the economy, labour market and household income over the next six months, was the lowest since April last year – reflecting growing concern about job prospects and soaring food prices.

Sarah Veale, head of equality and employment rights at the TUC, said she wasn't surprised by the rise. "When you've just lost your job, it's the one you have nothing to lose in taking legal action against your employer," she said.

Veale pointed out that many solicitors who operate on a no-win, no-fee basis, would also siphon off a sizeable percentage of any subsequent tribunal compensation, and advised those considering legal action to make use of the advice offered by a union. "It's the best place to go for decent no-strings legal advice," she said.

One of the City's biggest law firms is urging its employees to take extra paid holiday in an attempt to keep its women partners. Allen & Overy found female staff were quitting at the point of being made partners because of worries over juggling work and children. Now the firm, which took on mostly women graduates last year, says all partners can opt to work a four-day week, or full-time with an extra 52 days' holiday on top of the annual 30-day allowance. Partner Geoff Fuller said the firm wanted to avoid having to choose from “an ever-decreasing pool of talent”.

Leeds-based legal firm Clarion has expanded into Merseyside with a new criminal and fraud services practice in Formby, creating five new jobs. Managing director Mark Burns said: “This is our first office outside Yorkshire and builds on the success of our Leeds operation. “Combining our strong track record in criminal law with Tony Murphy’s extensive experience and reputation, we believe we can offer expert criminal advice in the North West.” Mr Murphy has worked around the country in all aspects of criminal law, and is a supervisor of the Law Society's Duty Solicitor Scheme.

Commercial property law firm Fladgate has announced it will consolidate its offices by moving to a site in Covent Garden. The firm previously occupied two offices in Mayfair but will now bring all of its law staff together under one roof at 16 Great Queen Street. Fladgate has taken five floors comprising 41,750 sq ft at the property and will initially sub-let one of the floors. The move has been five years in the planning, and the law firm has long recognised the need for larger, more modern premises to support its future growth plans.

The Law Society of Scotland has renewed calls for solicitors with experience of bullying or harassment in the workplace to get in touch and contribute to a study of the problem. Last week, the Society announced it had appointed a research firm to investigate the issue in the legal sector in Scotland, and launched an appeal for people across the profession to contribute - anonymously if preferable - and help them gauge how widespread the problem is. A week on, the Society's director of representation and support, Neil Stevenson, appealed again for lawyers to get in touch: "We would like to hear from solicitors and others who work in law firms about first-hand experience of bullying or harassment, or equally valid is the experience of people who have witnessed bullying, or supported victims of bullying," he said. "This will allow the researchers to build up a good picture of bullying and harassment in the legal sector and then allow the Society to produce best practice guidance and a support strategy for people affected by bullying." The research, which is being carried out by Equality Works, is also seeking examples of good practice as well as suggestions on improving the workplace. Researchers want to hear from lawyers of all ages and levels who have experienced or witnessed bullying or harassment or those who have been accused of the behaviour. Neil Stevenson added: "This is an important piece of research for the Society. While we have probably all heard about incidences of bullying, we do not know how widespread or not it may be or if there are particular individuals or groups which are most affected. "The initial findings of the research are expected to be published around November, none of which will be attributable to individuals. We also intend to put together guidance on best practice based on the outcomes and develop a strategy to provide support to anyone who is affected and work with firms to promote dignity at work." Julius Erolin, the managing consultant from Equality Works said: "Bullying and harassment is a serious issue in the workplace and can cause pain and misery for those who are victims, and adds significant costs to businesses. Identifying whether there is a problem is the only way to ensure that it can be dealt with appropriately. "Even if there is not a significant problem within the legal profession, there are bound to be isolated cases identified or some workplaces where working practice could be improved. To take part in the research, visit www.lawscot.org.uk or contact Helen Ketcher/Julius Erolin at Equality Works at: business.services@equality works.co.uk

Staff at a long-established firm of solicitors in Reading paid their respects to their founder last week. The funeral of Neil Rowberry who established Rowberry Morris in 1958 was held at Reading Crematorium on Thursday. The hearse drove down Castle Street where Rowberry Morris has been based since 1971. Employees stood outside to pay tribute to their founder as the cortège passed at 11am. Mr Rowberry was 75 when he died from heart failure at his home in Hyde End Lane, Ryeish Green, on Friday, July 30. He moved to Reading in 1958 and set up the firm of solicitors with his father Gilbert in its first office in Friar Street. Soon afterwards his brother Anthony joined the firm. Mr Rowberry served as a councillor for Katesgrove, Castle and Park wards in the 1960s and 70s. When the firm bought the office in Castle Hill in 1971, it renovated the significant old building which dates from the 1660s and is built from ship’s timbers. Further offices were opened in Tadley, Crowthorne and Staines and over the years two solicitors have been appointed judges and one of the senior partners holds a part-time judicial appointment. Although retired, Mr Rowberry maintained a keen interest in the firm.

The father of World's End murder victim Helen Scott has welcomed the Scottish Government's pledge to abolish the double jeopardy law and said he hopes his daughter will get "justice at last". Scottish Government sources have made it clear they intend to bring forward a bill in late September to scrap the law preventing a person standing trial twice for the same crime. The bill to be brought forward by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill will go much further than the limited changes in the law recommended following a review by the Scottish Law Commission (SLC). The Scotsman understands that Mr MacAskill, who has cross-party support for the changes, intends to make the bill retrospective allowing cases from the past to be retried, a move which had been opposed by the commission. The bill will mirror the Criminal Justice Act 2003 which ended the 800-year rule of double jeopardy barring retrials in England and Wales when new evidence came to light. The change south of the Border was retrospective and has already been used successfully to bring rapists and murderers to justice in England. Following a review last year, the SLC recommended the 800-year-old principle of "double jeopardy" should be set out in law and clarified. The Commission made no recommendation on whether this should allow for retrial if new evidence emerged, but it said any change in legislation should not be retrospective. The proposals were put out to public consultation in March this year. But now the Scottish Government has indicated it is willing to go further than the SLC recommendations and apply the changes retrospectively, allowing those already cleared to be put on trial again. The move by the Scottish Government has brought new hope to Morain Scott, who is now in his 80s and has been waiting for 33 years for a conviction of the man who brutally raped and murdered his daughter and her friend Christine Eadie, both 17, after a night out in Edinburgh in 1977.

Thousands of the most vulnerable people risk being denied emergency access to free advice from lawyers following major changes to the way legal aid is delivered, family law experts warn today. Ninety per cent of family lawyers surveyed by Resolution, the family lawyers' association, say they believe access to justice is seriously under threat after the recent shake-up of the tendering process across all civil legal work which now revolves around bidding for three-year contracts. The survey reflects fears that legal aid is going to take the biggest hit following last week's announcement that the Ministry of Justice will cut its £9bn budget by £2bn. Justice secretary Kenneth Clarke said in a recent interview that legal aid, which has a budget of £2bn, was one area "where our cuts can come from". Previously firms were paid for work on a case-by-case basis, or for a set of cases, and critics of the changes say they favour bigger firms and are devastating for smaller practices, among which specialists in family law are often found. According to the Legal Services Commission (LSC), which runs the legal aid system in England and Wales, only 1,300 of the 2,400 family law firms previously doing legal aid work have won new contracts, which start in October. Of those which responded to Resolution's survey published today, 86% said they will be appealing the LSC's decision. The survey found: • Family lawyers overwhelmingly believe vulnerable people most in need of emergency legal aid, such as domestic violence and forced marriage victims, will be unable to find the advice they need after a number of key specialists in these areas lost their bids. • Patchy nationwide provision, especially in rural areas, will result in "advice deserts", including in Cornwall, Dorset, Bedfordshire and Lincolnshire. • The reduced number of firms will lead to potential conflicts of interest – or clients having to travel significantly further to access a different lawyer – if a single firm is forced to take on more than one client party to the same dispute. • The government's proposed closure of magistrates and county courts will further seriously impede access to justice. • There will be more than 500 redundancies in the family legal aid sector, with one firm saying it was likely to lose up to 30 staff members, and six firms saying they may have to close their offices entirely.