Compliance & Regulation
SDT clears pro-Beijing lawyer over “kill protestors” allegation
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has rejected allegations that a pro-Beijing lawyer and politician based in Hong Kong called for pro-independence protestors to be “killed mercilessly”.
Law Society president steps down ahead of SDT hearing
The president of the Law Society is to step down later this month in the wake of a High Court ruling that the SDT was wrong to dismiss a prosecution brought against him by a former client.
Legal aid fraud solicitor fails to set aside £5m judgment
A solicitor and her practice manager husband jailed for legal aid fraud have failed in their bid to set aside a default judgment for nearly £5m obtained by the Ministry of Justice.
City firm avoids order to pay out escrow funds due to prosecution risk
A major City law firm should not be ordered to pay into court $325m it is holding in an escrow account, because it risks being prosecuted in America if it does, the High Court has ruled.
Solicitor who “did not know” he was a partner is rebuked
A solicitor who said he did not know that he had been appointed a partner and compliance officer for legal practice (COLP) of his firm has been rebuked.
Solicitor fined for fly tipping and supervision failure
A solicitor who failed to supervise a caseworker he wrongly thought to be a barrister and also fly tipped legal documents containing client information has been fined.
Solicitor who left clients “high and dry” struck off
A solicitor left clients “high and dry” by failing to register their property purchases and pay stamp duty, while misappropriating some £175,000 of their money, a tribunal has found.
Solicitor failed to check whether jailed client wanted to sell property
A veteran solicitor did not confirm that his imprisoned client had given instructions to transfer a £300,000 property to his mother, with the client claiming after it happened that he knew nothing about it.
Solicitor fined for abusive call to client who’s also a relative
A solicitor was verbally abusive to a client and attempted to dissuade them from continuing a complaint against him, it has emerged – and the pair were related.
Partner lied to client about settlement that never was
A partner at leading regional firm Clarke Willmott has been struck off for lying to his client that settlement monies were on the way when he had not actually negotiated any settlement.
Blog
Santa’s Costa Living Crisis
It’s almost 25 December, so it must be time for the annual Christmas blog from Nigel Wallis, consultant solicitor at O’Connors Legal Services.
Five golden links for a caring Christmas and New Year
This time of year always sharpens thoughts about how we look after and support elderly clients and those, elderly or otherwise, who find themselves in vulnerable circumstances.
Amplifying reach through employee-driven thought leadership
Nine in 10 executives believe thought leadership is critical to building authority, yet only a quarter feel they have implemented a robust strategy.
