Compliance & Regulation

The ‘Declaration of Conscience’ that has sparked a heated debate on the need for the cab-rank rule is just a “magician’s trick” and “a performative, protest document”, the chair of the CBA has said.

The public argument over the cab-rank rule looks set to rumble on after the Bar Council chair ratcheted up his criticism of barristers refusing to act against eco-causes.

A row about the cab-rank rule blew up today after barristers who have committed not to prosecute climate protestors or work for fossil fuel companies self-reported themselves to the BSB.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority does not appear to recognise the “severity of the risks” facing in-house lawyers indicated by its own research, a group of senior practitioners has warned.

An “inflationary” 9.6% increase in the Legal Ombudsman’s budget for 2023-24, to £16.8m, has been approved by the Legal Services Board.

A solicitor-turned-barrister has been rebuked by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for sending an offensive email that wished harm or even death on its recipients.

A full review of the reserved legal activities is not justified at the moment without a “fundamental” reappraisal of the Legal Services Act too, the Legal Services Board has concluded.

A large firm of licensed conveyancers and its senior partners have been reprimanded and fined £33,000 after a Covid-related work surge overwhelmed its ability to handle complaints.

A barrister infamous for his conviction for possession of drugs that led to the death of his boyfriend has now pleaded guilty to obtaining drugs from clients he was representing.

A trainee solicitor who stole more than £100,000 of client compensation to fund a gambling habit – severely damaging the law firm he worked for – has been jailed for two years.