Compliance & Regulation
Barrister disbarred after council tax conviction
A barrister convicted of failing to disclose a change in her circumstances for the purposes of council tax, and who was then found to have lied at a re-hearing, has been disbarred.
30% of barristers have faced bullying, harassment and discrimination
Nearly one in three barristers have personal experience of bullying, harassment and/or discrimination in the past two years, Bar Council research has revealed.
Treasury rejects SRA and Law Society pleas over economic crime levy
The government has rejected a call from the Solicitors Regulation Authority that small law firms should have to pay its new economic crime levy.
SRA launches investigations into 10% of firms checked for AML compliance
More than 10% of law firms whose compliance with anti-money laundering rules was checked by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in the last year have been referred for investigation
“Patronising” solicitor struck off for comments made to young women
A “patronising” solicitor who made multiple “racially, ethnically or religiously motivated comments” to young women at an event – whom he later accused of being ‘woke’ – has been struck off.
Regulators issue new standards to improve practice in coroner’s courts
The Bar Standards Board, the Solicitors Regulation Authority and CILEx Regulation have joined forces in a bid to improve the standard of practice in coroner’s courts.
Compensation funds could be “wiped out”, panel warns
The Legal Services Consumer Panel has warned that interim compensation funds put in place by two of the smaller legal regulators could be quickly “wiped out”.
Would-be pupil withdraws discrimination claim after tribunal ruling
An employment tribunal has refused to strike out a claim that a chambers discriminated against a pupillage applicant who had previous dealings with the QC who headed the pupillage committee.
SRA board to shrink to just nine members
Decisions on the regulation of solicitors will be made by just nine people from next year, the smallest the board of the Solicitors Regulation Authority has ever been.
Solicitor struck off after overcharging clients for stamp duty
A solicitor who overcharged a client for their stamp duty and paid the excess to an unknown third party has been struck off. He also lied to the SRA about his whereabouts to avoid answering its questions.
Blog
It’s time for law firms to ask tougher questions
For years, many law firms have treated ID verification as a box-ticking exercise. Run a liveness check, match a face to a document and move on. But that is no longer good enough.
Business fatigue to AI will risk job security
Whilst we know professional learning has always been part of career paths, to hire, retain and keep talent, AI needs to be embedded as a core part of this training.
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.
