Compliance & Regulation
Irwin Mitchell contact centre worker pretended to be lawyer
A contact-centre worker at Irwin Mitchell, who led another law firm to believe she was acting in an employment matter against its client, has been banned from working for law firms.
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.
Blog
AI can interrogate your contracts – but are they ready for questioning?
Suppose a law firm wants to review a client’s entire real estate portfolio for risk in the leases. Not long ago, that meant a multi-week project. Today, first-pass answer can arrive in minutes.
Why onboarding has become a strategic priority for law firms
One of the most influential stages of the client journey – client onboarding – often receives less strategic attention than it deserves.
Why law firms are getting AI supervision wrong
The profession’s response to AI supervision failures misunderstands the nature of LLM output – there needs to be for a shift in the culture.
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