Legal Aid, Cyber Attacks and Bitcoin

Welcome to legal/business updates, sharing the latest developments and noteworthy events in the legal and business sectors

Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter and welcome! In today’s fast-paced world, it’s overwhelming to keep up. That’s why I’ve curated a round-up of headlines that interest me. Stay informed, enhance your commercial awareness, and gain valuable insights. Sit back, relax, and let this newsletter be your companion in navigating news and knowledge.

Does legal aid save money?

A new report has found that investing in legal aid could save the Treasury billions of pounds. The Value of Justice for All report found that for every £1 spent on legal aid in 2023, it saved the government £2.71. For years there have been drastic cuts to legal aid funding, with many law firms unable to provide it. Clare Carter, chief executive of the Access to Justice Foundation says “the report demonstrates that funding free legal advice is both an ethical obligation and a wise financial decision”. Will there be a rise in legal aid funding?

You can read more here.

Is asking an employee to work from the office harassment?

An Employment Tribunal has found that a law firm asking a legal secretary to work from the office two days a week does not constitute harassment. The legal secretary worked remotely due to suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. She was asked to return to the office two days a week with the firm agreeing to a phased return. She brought a claim for harassment because of this. The judge found that ‘a desire for her to work some of the time from the office [did not] constitute an ‘intimidating or offensive environment’.

You can read more here.

77% increase in cyber attacks on law firms in the last year

“Nearly three quarters of the UK’s top 100 law firms have been impacted by cyber-attacks, according to a report by The National Cyber Security Centre”. Hackers try to blackmail law firms by threatening to share sensitive data, sell the data, locking law firms out of their software - usually until a sum of money is paid. This increase is thought to be due to criminals perceiving law firms as “prime targets for ransomware attacks or blackmail”.

You can read more here.

Stolen Crypto cash seized

The High Court in Scotland have seized £100,000 worth of crypto cash. John Ross Rennie was convicted of possessing stolen goods after he was involved with the violent assault and threatening of a man until he transferred his Bitcoin to them. Rennie was thought to be the technical expert behind it. “Judge Lady Ross wanted legal authority about how it could be settled with cryptocurrency. At the High Court in Edinburgh, lawyers agreed that the 23.5 Bitcoin could be converted into physical cash and that the sum should be £109,601”. This case is thought to be of huge significance with the increase in popularity of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

You can read more here.

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