Compliance & Regulation
Solicitor who fabricated attendance note escapes strike-off
A solicitor who created a “false and misleading” attendance note to show that she warned a client about the escalating level of costs has been suspended for two years.
Fine for drunk barrister who collapsed at court
A barrister who collapsed at a court while drunk and was taken to hospital in an ambulance has been fined £1,000 by the Bar Standards Board.
Watchdog takes action over accident management companies’ adverts
Three accident claims management companies – one of which is owned by a law firm – have been found in breach of the Advertising Standards Authority’s rules.
Breach of SRA rules must be “sufficiently serious” to be misconduct
A solicitor’s breach of their regulatory obligations will only amount to misconduct if it is “sufficiently serious”, the Court of Appeal ruled yesterday.
Solicitor cleared of misleading client and firm over LPAs
A solicitor accused of misleading her client and her firm about delays in registering lasting powers of attorney has been cleared, with her firm placing too much on her shoulders.
MP rails at “dishonest” solicitors involved in ad-spoofing
An MP has branded law firms that benefit from so-called ad-spoofing as “dishonest” and unethical, and called for action against them in a parliamentary debate last week.
Under-fire tax barrister handed 18-month interim suspension
The barrister whose £8m claim against high-profile tax lawyer Dan Neidle was ruled the first statutory SLAPP has been handed an interim suspension until September 2027.
Call to shift “modest” solicitor-client costs disputes from court to LeO
Costs disputes between solicitors and their clients worth up to £50,000 should be dealt with by the Legal Ombudsman and not the courts, the Civil Justice Council has proposed.
SRA unveils plan for beefed-up continuing competence regime
A beefed-up continuing competence regime for solicitors, including mandatory record-keeping and discussions about ethics has been laid out by the SRA.
Exclusive: CA clarifies Mazur ruling after Law Society application
The Court of Appeal has made amendments to its Mazur ruling to make clear that law firms are not at risk of committing a criminal offence through inadequate supervision of unauthorised persons.
Blog
Is clients’ use of AI destroying legal privilege?
Much has been written about the risks of lawyers misusing AI. However, in my view, the greater challenge lies elsewhere: the routine use of AI by clients themselves.
Does the Lloyd review mark the end of the Legal Services Act?
The Legal Services Board often generates eye-rolls and irritation from the leaders of the frontline regulators it oversees and of the representative bodies attached to them.
A familiar story?
There is no doubt that the rising cost of clinical negligence claims deserves attention. However, the system’s true cost driver is often not the claim itself.
