Compliance & Regulation
Male partner who “harassed” junior female colleague agrees to come off roll
A solicitor who made “inappropriate” comments to a junior colleague has avoided the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal by agreeing to remove himself from the roll for at least three years.
Law Society “could support” in-house alternative to SIF
The Law Society has “no objection in principle” to the Solicitors Indemnity Fund being replaced by an in-house alternative run by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
CILEX private client firm becomes first to transfer to SRA
A private client firm in Norwich has become the first to transfer regulator from CILEX Regulation to the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Decisions to suspend solicitors “should stay public” for extra three years
Decisions to suspend solicitors should stay in the public domain for three years after they return to work, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has argued.
Mayson: LSB’s ongoing competence push is “mission impossible”
The Legal Services Board is on a “mission impossible” in imposing an ongoing competence regime on the legal profession that will generate disproportionate costs for lawyers and consumers.
SRA: Expected spike in claims over dubious schemes has not happened
Solicitors’ contributions to the SRA Compensation Fund will fall next year because an anticipated spike in the level of claims arising from dubious investment schemes did not transpire.
Labour urges immediate rights extension for associate prosecutors
The Labour Party has called for the role of associate prosecutors to be expanded so as to help reduce the massive backlog in criminal cases awaiting hearings.
In-house lawyers “should add regulatory rules to employment contracts”
In-house lawyers’ regulatory responsibilities, for example the SRA principles, should be written into their employment contracts to ensure their independence, the former head of LawtechUK has argued.
The OIC effect? Number and value of motor fraud claims fall
The volume and value of motor insurance claim frauds fell last year, which also covered the first seven months of the Official Injury Claim portal.
First solicitors who passed SQE set to qualify after strong results
The first solicitors to qualify via the Solicitors Qualifying Examination will enter practice next month after 77% of candidates passed the second set of assessments.
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”.
