Compliance & Regulation
Regulator probes law firms accused in Parliament over oligarch work
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has started visiting law firms named in Parliament amid concerns about their work for Russian oligarchs, it has emerged.
SRA rebukes leading class action firm over conduct of struck-out claim
Class action firm Hausfeld has been rebuked by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for allowing its independence to be compromised in the conduct of a massive group claim.
Mid-tier law firms “rubbing hands with glee” at new oligarch clients
Mid-tier London law firms are “rubbing their hands with glee” at an influx of new oligarch clients turned away by the big City firms, a leading media lawyer has claimed.
SDT “does not have power” to revoke s43 orders made by SRA
Non-solicitors banned from working in law firms by the Solicitors Regulation Authority cannot apply for the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal to revoke the order, the tribunal has decided.
BSB scraps student aptitude test despite Bar Council opposition
The Bar Standards Board is to ditch the Bar course aptitude test as it is no longer acting as a “filter” of those likely to fail the vocational component of their training.
Legal regulators should not be “overly risk averse” about technology
Legal regulators must not be “overly risk adverse” in supporting the use of technology, given its importance, a senior figure at the Legal Services Board has said.
BSB panel rejects complaints over barrister’s Royal baby tweets
A Bar Standards Board panel has rejected more than 80 complaints made against a barrister accused of making racist comments on Twitter about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s baby last year.
Ex-Law Society president fails in bid to strike out SDT case
David Greene, the former president of the Law Society, has failed in his attempt to halt a private prosecution of him at the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, although its scope has been narrowed.
GPs attack “bullying” solicitors over Covid exemption letters
The British Medical Association has accused solicitors of bullying GPs by threatening legal action if the doctor does not provide a Covid vaccination exemption for their client.
Council lawyer lied about husband’s company to get invoices paid
An in-house solicitor at Corby Borough Council who lied about giving work to her husband’s company in a bid to have two invoices paid has been struck off.
Blog
Reorientation in the AI era must begin with the client
Much of the discussion about AI in the legal industry focuses on technology: which tools to adopt and which tasks might get automated. But this misses the deeper story.
Awaab’s Law phase 2: New hazards council tenants can now claim for
The conversation on housing disrepair is moving beyond damp and mould alone. With the rollout of phase 2 of Awaab’s Law, the scope of issues covered is expanding significantly,
Beyond PCP: Can regulators and lawyers work better together next time?
Nearly a decade after the Financial Conduct Authority began investigating the car finance industry, the story of the PCP commission scandal is still unfinished.
