Compliance & Regulation
SRA to require advance notice of law firm M&A deals
Law firms will have to notify the Solicitors Regulation Authority after signing heads of terms on a merger or acquisition, the regulator has proposed.
AML: FCA to use ‘fit and proper’ test for law firm owners
Law firm owners and managers will be subjected to the FCA’s ‘fit and proper’ test once it takes over oversight of their AML activities, the government has decided.
Crown prosecutor struck off for child cruelty conviction
A Crown prosecutor who was jailed for assaulting and ill-treating a child has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
SDT fines solicitor and firm for website transparency failures
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has fined a solicitor and the law firm he owns £4,500 for failing to comply with the SRA’s transparency rules.
PM’s anti-corruption champion backs AML supervision switch
The prime minister’s anti-corruption champion has strongly endorsed the decision to move oversight of lawyers’ anti-money laundering activities to the Financial Conduct Authority.
Solicitor who believed court made error cleared of dishonesty
A veteran solicitor who genuinely believed a court had entered judgment against his client by error has been cleared of multiple allegations made against him at a tribunal.
Conduct commissioner offers barristers route to raise bullying concerns
Barristers under a duty to report bullying, harassment or sexual harassment by others to the BSB can now satisfy it by reporting to the Bar Council’s new Commissioner for Conduct.
Seven-year restriction for solicitor in third SDT appearance
A probate solicitor who blamed multiple breaches on the “emotional entanglement” he felt when handling his brother’s estate has been fined and given a seven-year restriction order.
SRA rewrites supervision guidance after Mazur ruling
The SRA has issued substantially revised guidance on effective supervision, setting out in detail how firms can delegate legal work to non-authorised staff following Mazur.
LSB exposes “expectation-reality gap” with legal AI
Consumers expect a lawyer to oversee the information and advice that artificial intelligence provides, major new research has found.
Blog
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.
Communication as the core of client care in conveyancing
How a conveyancer approaches client care – particularly in relation to communication – can be the greatest differentiator for the success of a conveyancing firm.
Why brilliant lawyers sometimes fail
A question that often strikes a chord with partners in law firms is this: why is it that individuals who excel in one role sometimes struggle when promoted into another?
Reports
Associates
