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Crispin Passmore on Muck Rack

Crispin Passmore

London
As seen in: The Guardian, The Times, Educational Studies, Law.com, Law360, Mondaq, Legal Cheek, The Law Society Gazette, Legal Futures, Axiom Insights on Legal Services
Covers:  Legal market, legal education, legal regulation, UK, US and beyond. Use of NDAs, diversity in legal market, consumer and public experience of legal services.
Doesn't Cover: Beyond legal market issues
legal market geek. consultant to start ups, investors, law firms & global businesses. nothing I say here is my real view, nor anyone else’s probably
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Crispin Passmore’s Journalist Portfolio

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Law firms snub reform at their peril

Law firms snub reform at their peril

The Times — Walking around the City of London you can stumble across halls that were once home to powerful guilds. Their strength waned after the 1666 great fire when rules were relaxed for seven years to increase the supply of skilled labour.It was hard for the guilds to reintroduce the protectionist restricti
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A STAR is born

A STAR is born

passmoreconsulting.co.uk — SRA new Standards and Regulations take effect 25 November. Its a big day. Lots of change means a more flexible rule book that gives law firms, lawyers and business owners the opportunity to innovate and drive a new shaped legal market. Who will take this opportunity?
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Your ethics and culture in the STARs

Your ethics and culture in the STARs

passmoreconsulting.co.uk — The SRA's new Standards & Regulations take effect 25 November 2019. There is a renewed focus on ethics and the culture that underpins how a law firm operates and a solicitor behaves.
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Ethics and what's expected of you | Legal Services Regulation Blog | Kingsley Napley

Ethics and what's expected of you | Legal Services Regulation Blog | Kingsley Napley

kingsleynapley.co.uk — It's not the SRA that protects the public from rogue solicitors and law firms. It is the ethical choices underpinning the millions of decisions made by lawyers every day when no one is looking. Ethics is personal and while the SRA can set standards, guide conduct and provide the right framework and enforce robustly, it cannot watch over everyone all the time.
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Is the US at a tipping point?

Is the US at a tipping point?

passmoreconsulting.co.uk — Another US State (Illinois) has joined California, Arizona and Utah in proposing reforms for the re-regulation of legal services and lawyers. The evidence of the current system failing to meet the legal needs of ordinary citizens and small business is overwhelming and incontrovertible.
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Law: Everything you need to know about the SQE from the man behind the whole thing; Crispin Passm...

Law: Everything you need to know about the SQE from the man behind the whole thing; Crispin Passm...

youtu.be — The entire process of qualifying as a solicitor is changing in 2021 when the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) is introduced and it is one of the biggest shake ups the profession has ever seen. Hear from the architect of reform.
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NDAs are not there to spare executive blushes

NDAs are not there to spare executive blushes

The Times — Much has changed since the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the watchdog for 140,000 practising lawyers in England and Wales, showed leadership with its warning notice on the misuse of non-disclosure agreements. Not least the Commons women and equalities committee now wants to clean up the use of ND
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Utah turns US reform party into a carnival

Utah turns US reform party into a carnival

passmoreconsulting.co.uk — A task force appointed by the Utah State Supreme Court, with the support of the State Bar, has made radical proposals for the liberalisation of its legal market. More innovation to support access to justice, non lawyer ownership and an end to the ban on fee sharing are all viable ways forward it seems. This follows California and Arizona making similarly radical reform proposals.
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Legal aid: my manifesto

Legal aid: my manifesto

passmoreconsulting.co.uk — Crispin Passmore offers his manifesto for legal aid. Based on over 25 years in the legal sector including running the UK's largest Law Centre and being responsible for legal aid policy, he sets out a new structure for the delivery of a crucial part of both our welfare state and the infrastructure that supports the rule of law.
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Legal Aid - more wild guess and unlikely dreams

Legal Aid - more wild guess and unlikely dreams

law-tech-a2j.org — This article is written by Crispin Passmore, until recently of the Solicitors Regulatory Authority and previously the Legal Services Commission and Legal Services Board, now a consultant. Ever an interesting, and often a controversial, thinker, Crispin explores a particular problem for legal aid in England and Wales - how we might encourage innovation and greater use of technology within...
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Wild predictions from a scary fool?

Wild predictions from a scary fool?

passmoreconsulting.co.uk — A quick review of the changing legal market and how new business models are hiding in plain site from traditional law firms. Then a few predictions about how the market might change in the years ahead. Focused mainly on the corporate legal market this is a call to action to law firm leaders to avoid complacency and get fit for the future.
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Gagging order rules 'relaxed after pressure from law firms'

Gagging order rules 'relaxed after pressure from law firms'

The Times — City solicitors' firms pressured the Law Society into relaxing guidance on the use of gagging orders in sexual harassment claims, campaigners have said.A former senior regulator accused a society official of risking "the silencing of appropriate reporting to the police or regulators". The guidelines
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What's the point of the Law Society? - Legal Futures

What's the point of the Law Society? - Legal Futures

Legal Futures — The Law Society receives around £30m each year from the practising certificate and turnover fees paid by each solicitor and regulated legal business. This money is used to fund the trade association activities that the Law Society focuses on.
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SQE: Your planning should start now - Legal Futures

SQE: Your planning should start now - Legal Futures

Legal Futures — Perhaps the inevitable consequence of seeking support for radical and sometimes unpopular change such as the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) is that the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has consistently said to law firms that, if they don't want to change, they don't have to.
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Change happens in two ways - gradually and then suddenly - Legal Futures

Change happens in two ways - gradually and then suddenly - Legal Futures

Legal Futures — Despite many years of predictions that we are at a point of inflection, the world looks the same for very many law firms and solicitors. There are still just over 10,000 law firms and the number of solicitors continues its steady rise. There has been no 'big bang'; no revolution; no game changers.
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Special Focus PII - SRA reforms strike right balance

Special Focus PII - SRA reforms strike right balance

The Law Society Gazette — Crispin Passmore sets out case for reform of professional indemnity insurance obligations for lawyers
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Regulatory reform: Helping the profession deliver - Legal Futures

Regulatory reform: Helping the profession deliver - Legal Futures

Legal Futures — Four years ago, the SRA Handbook was 648 pages long. It contained all sorts of processes, restrictions and obligations that had grown up over many years. Some of these processes cost those we regulate time and money to comply with and pay for. Others cost us, and therefore the profession, to process.
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Making the case for the SRA's use of waivers - Legal Futures

Making the case for the SRA's use of waivers - Legal Futures

Legal Futures — Crispin Passmore, director of policy at the Solicitors Regulation Authority, writes: We are now nearing the end of a five-year programme to change how the SRA regulates so we can make sure we focus on what matters: high professional standards.
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The Solicitors Regulation Authority: looking to the future

The Solicitors Regulation Authority: looking to the future

tandfonline.com — The legal market is changing. Whether individual consumer or corporate client, the choice of services available to help manage or solve legal problems appears increasingly wide. Business process outsourcing, technology and data companies, accountants and other professional advisors are offering corporate clients new options to manage their legal affairs.
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The case for diversity: legal profession's white, male legacy persists

The case for diversity: legal profession's white, male legacy persists

The Guardian — This week saw the release of the Equality and Human Rights Commission report entitled How Fair is Britain. Today, at a high-level conference at Westminster University, original research examining structural inequalities in the legal services sector [pdf] will be unveiled.
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