Compliance & Regulation
Gender-critical barristers’ alarm at BSB equality rule reform
Two barristers with high-profile gender-critical views have expressed alarm at the Bar Standards Board’s proposed rewrite of its equality rules.
Barristers set for positive duty to advance equality and diversity
Barristers will have a positive duty to act “in a way that advances equality, diversity and inclusion” under a shake-up of the equality rules launched by the Bar Standards Board.
CILEx Regulation pushes ahead with transparency for all legal services
Rule changes which would mean that law firms regulated by CILEx Regulation would be the first required to publish price and service information for all services have been put to the LSB.
Law firm owner rebuked for practising without insurance
A solicitor who did not shut down his law firm properly, continuing to deal with client matters even though he was not insured, has been rebuked.
Legal Omubdsman restarts work on publishing decisions
The Legal Ombudsman is set to restart work towards publishing the decisions it makes in full, now that operational performance is improving, Legal Futures can reveal.
Paralegal rebuked for misleading client over Land Registry matter
A paralegal who misled a client about the progress of their matter as she sought to clear up a problem she inherited on a file has been rebuked by the SRA.
Law firm compliance officer fined for accounts rules failures
A solicitor who allowed his law firm to flout the accounts rules while a director and compliance officer has been fined by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
SRA: Convictions highlight Chinese ‘underground banking’ danger
The sentencing of seven people involved in a money laundering network via Chinese underground banking is a valuable reminder to solicitors of its risks, the SRA has said.
LSB puts SRA Compensation Fund fee increases on hold
Approval of the SRA’s application for the level of Compensation Fund contributions – which are set to soar this year – has been delayed for the first time ever, Legal Futures can report.
Fine for solicitor who acted on both sides of property deal
A partner who acted for both sides of a property transaction where there was a conflict of interest has been fined by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Blog
The UK legal market is polarising – and the middle is disappearing
Consolidation and the boutique boom are not contradictory. They are the same market stretching apart at both ends – and it changes what your firm is worth, and to whom.
Conveyancing’s consistency problem is about pressure, not skills
When I qualified, a conveyancer had perhaps 10 or 12 plates to keep spinning. Today’s conveyancers have 20 or 30, and almost none of the room for error I had starting out.
The trade-off mid-sized firm partners think they’re making
Most of the partners I talk to describe the same tension. They want the firm to run efficiently and hit its numbers, but they also want their people to feel supported, developed and fairly treated.
Reports
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