Compliance & Regulation
Solicitor caught on CCTV giving cash to clients at police station
A veteran solicitor caught on CCTV four times giving cash to arrested clients at a Kent police station has been struck off. He said he had acted with the “utmost stupidity”.
Fresh warning over barristers making “supportive” comments about cases
A senior QC has called for the “fundamentally contradictory” rules on what barristers can say in public about their cases to be re-examined.
SDT hears fewer sexual misconduct cases than expected
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal heard fewer cases involving sexual misconduct by solicitors last year than it expected, given the high number investigated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
High Court rejects challenge to SDT case management decisions
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal was right not to order the Solicitors Regulation Authority to seek information from the BBC on behalf of a solicitor facing prosecution, the High Court has ruled.
Bogus solicitor handed suspended jail sentence after second offence
A man who appeared before Coventry County Court pretending to be a solicitor has been handed a suspended prison term after being prosecuted by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Fine for partners over years of multiple accounts rules breaches
Two partners at a former London firm have been fined a total of £25,000 for an improper transfer of a client’s funds and allowing more than 1,700 matters to go stale, among other accounts rules breaches.
SDT rejects non-lawyer partner’s appeal against ban
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has rejected an appeal from a non-lawyer partner banned by the SRA from being a manager of a law firm over a client account shortage.
SFO lays out global web Schools used to hide Axiom cash
The Serious Fraud Office has laid out the complexity of its investigation into the Axiom Legal Financing Fund fraud, taking in eight countries, from the UK to the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific.
Solicitor founder of Axiom fund faces jail after fraud conviction
The solicitor mastermind of the Axiom Legal Financing Fund was yesterday found guilty of five counts of fraud, fraudulent trading and money laundering, and told he faces a lengthy jail sentence
Law Society and SRA to recoup extra £10m from solicitors
Practising fees for solicitors are to increase by 10%, or £10.4m, in the next year, with the practising certificate fee to rise £20, the Law Society and Solicitors Regulation Authority have proposed.
Blog
On good authority? GenAI and the reputational risks to law firms
As GenAI’s influence grows, so do the risks which are already playing out in courtrooms across England and Wales, where some early adopters are setting precedents they would rather not.
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.
