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Although COFAs often hold senior positions and play an essential role in a firm’s financial and regulatory integrity, the perception of the compliance function itself is still evolving.

The SRA’s new thematic review into source of funds and wealth reveals both progress and persistent blind spots, with source-of-funds checks too often thought of as a procedural hurdle.

While SRA fines for AML have been climbing, many in the profession aren’t confident they will get any relief from the FCA, a body used to dealing with a highly regulated industry.

The main reason cited by people who do not have a will was a lack of awareness as to how to arrange one. As a professional community, we seem to be failing to get our message across.

From catastrophic firm collapses to endemic compliance failures, the evidence is mounting that the current multi-regulator model is fundamentally broken.

As AI-assisted due diligence becomes embedded in law firm work, a sharper question emerges: what happens when the system misses something material?

Law firm staff generally like their colleagues and the flexibility they have – but feel overworked, under-communicated with, and uncertain about their long-term prospects.

Getting lawyers to use AI isn’t about the tech. It’s about behaviour and the complex mix of beliefs, fears, habits and incentives that shape how people really work.

A year ago, legal departments were cautiously curious about generative artificial intelligence (AI). Today, they’re eagerly embedding it into their operations.

Private equity interest is being driven by US houses, which see UK firms as an attractive route to growth in Europe’s mature professional services market.