A leading law firm has been found "in contempt" of the Commons after threatening an MP with legal proceedings if he made allegations about one of its clients in the House.

The Standards and Privileges Committee criticised Withers LLP for failing to realise that John Hemming, a Liberal Democrat backbencher, was protected by Parliamentary privilege.

The firm of solicitors had urged the MP to withdraw what they called "defamatory" claims about property developer Jeremy Knight Adams.

They later sought an assurance that he would not repeat the allegations in the Commons, saying that without it they would issue proceedings.

Mr Hemming refused to give the undertaking and advised that the firm's actions might be regarded as contempt of Parliament. Withers dismissed his warning as "inappropriate".

Only after consulting counsel, following a further warning from Clerk of the House Malcolm Jack, did Withers accept it had been "mistaken" and apologised to the Commons and Mr Hemming.

Law firm Leon Kaye has launched an investigation into the legal implications of Skipton Building Society’s decision to scrap the ceiling on its standard variable rate.

Money Marketing first revealed last month Skipton’s move to scrap the ceiling rate on its SVR, which had meant borrowers would not pay more than 3 per cent above the base rate.

The society blamed “exceptional circumstances” for removing the ceiling.

Leon Kaye Solicitors says such clauses are normally built in to contracts to ensure the lender has some control but it is investigating whether Skipton could be in breach of the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977.

Leon Kaye Solicitors’ statement says: “Those borrowers who cannot switch mortgages will be exposed to significant increases in their interest payments despite taking out an SVR for added protection against such rises in the interest rate.

Montgomery law firm Beasley Allen Crow Methvin Portis & Miles PC recently filed a lawsuit against Toyota Motor Corp. and Toyota Motor Sales USA on behalf of more than 500,000 Toyota Prius and Lexus Hybrid owners.

The firm, which filed the case in the U.S. District Court Middle District of Alabama, alleges that Toyota concealed facts relating to the defects in the accelerator braking system. Beasley also filed complaints of breach of implied warranty of merchantability, fraudulent concealment, unjust enrichment and breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, according to a written statement.

“Toyota knew about these defects long before they issued a recall, yet they continued to market the vehicles as safe and reliable,” said Dee Miles, head of Beasley Allen’s consumer fraud and class action department.

Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE:TM) has been under scrutiny recently after initiating several recalls on millions of vehicles. One of the most recent recalls included fixing accelerator pedals that began to stick over time, preventing drivers from stopping with their brakes, according to news reports.

For Stephanie Conner, it’s about independence and fewer distractions. For Alison Rapping, it’s about not paying office rent. And for Jackie Wright, it’s about touting both of those things to prospective clients.

The trio are among an increasing number of small-business owners who work out of their homes.

They all say economic changes, new technologies and a more personalized approach to client services are blasting away old stereo­types, allowing home-based businesses to be taken just as seriously as larger companies with offices and conference rooms.

“My day is so efficient now,” said Rebecca Golden, owner of Phoenix Web design firm Website Garden. “I literally wake up, brush my teeth and start working.”

The way some people tell it, law firms have begun to sound more like used-car companies, offering up deep discounts or alternative-fee arrangements.

Alternative fees, discounted billing rates and fixed-fees are becoming more and more rampant in the legal world, although it remains to be seen just how cost-effective those discounts are.

“It’s incredibly easy to get discounts,” said Jay Shepherd, founder of Boston-based Shepherd Law Group. Shepherd has famously shunned the billable-hour model, in favor of fixed-fee arrangements. “I’ve talked to many in-house counsels who say, ‘I just make a phone call, and I get a discount.’ Law firms are doing something that car companies did about a year ago, with the employee discount pricing. It becomes a frenzy of discounting.”

Applegate & Fifer, a business and real estate law firm based in Jeffersonville, was renamed Applegate Fifer Pulliam LLC last month.

The name change was prompted by the addition of a third partner, Keith Pulliam, who joined real estate attorney Alan Applegate and municipal attorney Greg Fifer.

Pulliam previously practiced at New Albany law firm Lorch & Naville LLC.

He assists small businesses with legal issues, such as business formations and contracts.