Compliance & Regulation
Canadian law society allows listed DWF to overcome ban on buying firm
Listed practice DWF has bought a law firm in Vancouver, Canada for £28m, a deal only allowed by its local law society with conditions that ensure local lawyers retain control.
Client losses from cyber-attacks on law firms continue to fall
Law firms appear to be warding off cyber-attacks more successfully, with client losses falling to £700,000 in the first 10 months of this year, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has revealed.
Dishonest paralegal, drink driving, AML failure – SRA hands out penalties
A paralegal who used case files he had not worked on as part of his application to be an accredited police station representative has been banned, among the latest sanctions handed out by the SRA.
Law firms under “active investigation” for flouting sanctions regime
A small number of law firms are being investigated for either actively or negligently breaching sanctions imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it emerged yesterday.
SRA on lookout for solicitors “borrowing” from client money to pay bills
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is braced for solicitors looking to borrow from client account to help pay their bills in the face of a worsening economy, its chief executive said yesterday.
LSB promises regulators “greater autonomy” in performance regime
The Legal Services Board has promised the frontline legal regulators “greater autonomy” in its the framework it will use to assess regulators’ progress.
Lawyers should “actively advise” clients on their environmental impact
Lawyer are not merely “servants of their clients” and should counsel their clients about environmental harms their instructions may lead to, a leading legal academic has argued.
Supreme Court will not hear appeal on professional tribunal members’ pay
The Supreme Court has refused permission to appeal a ruling that a barrister who sat as a tribunal chair for the Nursing and Midwifery Council was a ‘worker’ and entitled to sickness and holiday pay.
SDT lifts restriction on solicitor holding management position in firms
The SDT has lifted part of the conditions imposed on a solicitor suspended for a year a decade ago for multiple rule breaches, allowing him to return to law firm management.
SRA rows back on requiring junior staff to challenge bad behaviour at work
Law firm managers, but not junior staff, are set to have a regulatory obligation to challenge colleagues who treat others unfairly or without respect, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has said.
Blog
The SRA needs to admit it got it wrong about SLAPPs
The High Court judgment in Ashley Hurst v SRA in January raises serious questions about the regulator’s approach to allegations of SLAPP-like behaviour.
Why menopause support belongs on every law firm’s agenda
Progression in the law slows significantly as women approach senior leadership. Most will be at the height of their careers around the average age menopause symptoms begin.
Law firms need to go beyond document checks
At the root of every failed compliance review is a familiar phrase: a calm assertion of “but we did a document check”.
