Compliance & Regulation
Metamorph closures have cost profession £1.4m so far
The closure of 16 offices of the Metamorph Group by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has so far cost the profession £1.4m, it has emerged.
Lawyers face enhanced risk in “grim” AI-fuelled crime outlook
Lawyers and others face a future in which criminals can use artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT to enhance their ability to commit fraud, Europol has warned.
Legal Services Board pushes back on claim it is overreaching
The Legal Services Board has firmly rebuffed suggestions that it is guilty of ‘overreach’ in doing more than just overseeing the performance of the frontline regulators.
SRA acknowledges need to speed up investigations into solicitors
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is introducing tougher targets for its investigators in a bid to reduce delays in processing complaints about solicitors.
BSB “assessing” self-reports from barristers over cab-rank rule defiance
The Bar Standards Board said last night that it was assessing self-reports from barristers who say they will defy the cab-rank rule – but experts predict it will not take action until they do.
Non-lawyers banned for taking money and forging signatures
Two non-lawyers who between them misappropriated £1m from their respective law firms’ bank accounts have been banned from working in the profession.
Immigration lawyer secretly recorded by BBC struck off
An immigration solicitor secretly recorded by the BBC advising an undercover journalist how to obtain “fraudulent” evidence for a visa application has been struck off.
SRA warns profession: Practising fees will go up this year
The cost of practising as a solicitor looks set to increase significantly this year after the SRA warned yesterday that it would be seeking more funding from the profession.
LSB chief: We’re “five years too late” to regulate AI
It is “five years too late” for regulators in the UK to provide “any meaningful response” to the challenges raised by AI, the chief executive of the Legal Services Board said yesterday.
Lawyers should “draw line” on which clients to represent
There is “a group of clients who should not be represented by lawyers” and the profession should be discussing where to draw the line, a leading anti-corruption campaigner has argued.
Blog
Why this is the year for law firms to embrace generative AI
After more than a year of pilots, proofs of value and early experimentation, firms are increasingly embedding AI into day-to-day workflows.
Client account interest is not spare change
The proposed Interest on Lawyers’ Client Accounts scheme is being framed as a sensible, international, “tried and tested” way for the profession to help fund a justice system under strain.
The formula for finance-enabled business development
Client concentration or over-dependence now counts as a top strategic risk for 26% of firms. Cross-selling is an antidote – a way to bolster revenue resilience without relying on client acquisition.
