Compliance & Regulation
Partner fined for AML and banking facility failures
A partner in a London law firm has been fined £25,000 for allowing its client account to be used as a banking facility and failing to make adequate identity checks.
Union presses for formal recognition by LeO amid “escalating crisis”
The Legal Ombudsman is in crisis but “refusing to acknowledge serious and fundamental concerns” facing the organisation, the Public and Commercial Services union has warned.
SRA: “Lack of trust and visibility” in online self-help legal tools
There is a lack of trust and visibility of interactive self-help legal tools that are being developed to help access to justice, such as chatbots and online documents, the SRA has found.
Top criminal law firm fined £98,000 for cyber-security “negligence”
Leading criminal law firm Tuckers has been fined £98,000 by the Information Commissioner after a ransomware attack that encrypted nearly a million files exploited its “negligent security practices”.
Law firms should register deals affecting national security, says QC peer
The government said yesterday it would consider a barrister peer’s call for law firms to register their work on transactions that cover areas of national security.
“Reckless” solicitor suspended for misleading £2.9m costs bill
A solicitor who was “reckless” as to whether the court might be misled over a £2.9 costs bill has been suspended for 12 months by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
High Court rejects solicitor’s challenge to SRA intervention
Sophie Khan, the solicitor jailed for defying court orders to hand over files to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, has now lost her challenge to the regulator’s decision to close her firm.
SRA to start spot checks on firms’ Russia sanctions compliance
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to conduct spot checks on law firms to ensure they are complying with the sanctions imposed on Russian individuals, companies and ships.
Solicitor used residual balances to pay salaries and VAT bills
A solicitor who was a major figure in miners’ compensation claims has been fined for using £140,000 of residual balances in his client account to pay salaries and tax bills.
Rule will require solicitors to challenge colleagues’ improper behaviour
Solicitors will have a regulatory obligation to challenge colleagues who treat others unfairly or without respect as part of a plan to beef up the rules on health and wellbeing at work.
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.
