Compliance & Regulation
Solicitor fabricated court order to hide lack of progress with case
A solicitor who fabricated a court order to hide his lack of progress with a case – as well as an email purporting to seek enforcement of it – has been struck off.
Post Office lawyers referred to SRA over ‘without prejudice’ letters
Campaigning lawyer Dan Neidle has referred the Post Office’s legal team to the SRA over ‘without prejudice’ letters sent to victims of the flawed Horizon computer system.
SDT refused to disclose witness statements in sexual misconduct case
The SDT refused to disclose the witness statements of three young women who gave evidence of sexual misconduct by City lawyer Oliver Bretherton to journalists, it has emerged.
BSB to lobby councils over disabled access to listed chambers buildings
The Bar Standards Board has written to chief planning officers in central London to express concern at the difficulties chambers face in adapting historic buildings for disabled access.
SRA “keeping close eye” on law firm consolidators
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is keeping a close eye on the growing number of law firm consolidators because of particular risks they raise – including being a vehicle for criminals.
High Court rejects solicitor-turned-barrister’s disbarment appeal
A solicitor turned barrister, disbarred for dishonesty relating to earlier disciplinary action taken against him by the SRA, has failed in his appeal to the High Court.
KC loses appeal against suspension for disclosure failure
A senior criminal law KC has failed in an appeal against a year-long suspension imposed for his decision not to disclose surveillance evidence which ultimately led to a conviction being overturned.
Bar Council set for first Black chair after Mills election
Barbara Mills KC is set to become the first Black person and person of colour to lead the Bar in 2025 after being elected as vice-chair of the Bar Council for next year, amid a flurry of appointments.
Senior partner who admitted acting “disgracefully” is struck off
A former senior partner who admitted acting “disgracefully” and dishonestly by creating invoices for probate work that had already been paid for, has been struck off.
Firms must avoid “knee-jerk response” to sexual misconduct claims
Law firms must avoid giving a “knee-jerk response” to complaints of sexual harassment, a leading reputation management lawyer has said.
Blog
The new metrics for success in conveyancing
While technology has made much of the conveyancing process faster, there remains a practical limit to how many matters anyone can manage while still keeping standards intact.
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.
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