Compliance & Regulation
Digital ID tools “do not breach legal services regulation”
Solicitors should not view digital identity verification as a second-best option after traditional manual checks, according to a joint statement by LawtechUK and the legal regulators.
Barrister sanctioned for “offensive” Muslim tweet wins appeal
A Bar Standards Board panel applied too low a threshold in sanctioning a barrister for a tweet about Muslims that it said would cause offence, a tribunal has ruled.
Standard cyber-security form to aid solicitors instructing barristers
A standardised form for solicitors to assess the cyber-security arrangements of chambers they instruct has been launched by the Law Society and Bar Council.
The SRA’s first ABS – still going strong, 10 years on
Tomorrow marks the 10th anniversary of the first alternative business structure licensed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and the firm is still going strong.
Legal Ombudsman budget to top £15m after 5.8% increase approval
The Legal Services Board has approved a 5.8% increase in the budget of the Legal Ombudsman for the coming year, amounting to an extra £850,000 cost levied on the profession.
City firms urged to agree common approach to social mobility
City law firms need get on with agreeing a common approach to measure social mobility in their recruitment processes, a roundtable has heard from a former MP and solicitor.
SRA to reintroduce annual process and fee to stay on roll
Non-practising solicitors will have to apply to the Solicitors Regulation Authority every year once again and pay an annual charge of £30-£40 if they want to stay on the roll from April 2023.
“Core of dissatisfaction” with lawyers fuelling complaints to LeO
There is an “underlying core of dissatisfaction with legal service provision, expressed through the complaints system, that is not changing or being sufficiently addressed”, the chief legal ombudsman has said.
Solicitor misled law firm and SRA about driving convictions
A solicitor who made misleading statements to his law firm and the SRA about convictions for drink-driving and driving while disqualified has been struck off.
SRA to urge big firms to report ethnicity pay gap
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to encourage large law firms to start reporting their ethnicity pay gap and introduce ‘exit questionnaires’ for solicitors leaving the profession.
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.
