Compliance & Regulation
Solicitor suspended after struck-off brother takes blame
A solicitor who overcharged two estates by £275,000 has been struck off, but his partner – and younger brother – has avoided the same sanction after saying he was “too trusting”.
Prepare now for negative interest rates, law firms told
Law firms have been urged to change their retainers now so they can charge clients for holding their money, given the “possibility, if not likelihood” of negative interest rates.
Barrister avoids disbarment despite expenses fraud conviction
An employed barrister convicted of fraud after claiming expenses he was not entitled to has avoided being thrown out of the profession by a Bar disciplinary tribunal.
SRA puts consolidator into liquidation owing £17m
The 16-office law firm consolidator shut down by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in August has been placed into liquidation owing creditors nearly £17m.
Solicitor admits losing control of his firm’s accounts
A solicitor who said he was “unable to take control” of his firm’s accounts when he started receiving client money – he admitted not knowing interest should be paid to clients – has been fined £10,000.
Solicitor who changed dates of charges with Tipp-Ex struck off
A property lawyer who used Tipp-Ex to change the dates of charges he needed to register at Companies House has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Appeal over failure to award indemnity costs against SRA
A solicitor who obtained a rare costs award against the SRA is to ask the High Court to rule that the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal was wrong to say it could not award them on the indemnity basis.
“Not all mistakes are misconduct”, says SDT as it clears solicitor
Not all mistakes made by solicitors are professional misconduct, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has ruled in dismissing allegations that an assistant misled the court.
Record fine for Co-op Legal Services after indemnity principle breach
Co-operative Legal Services has been fined nearly £144,000 for recovering more costs in personal injury claims than it was entitled to – the largest fine the SRA has ever handed out to an ABS.
“KKK” solicitor fined for groping female colleagues
A senior solicitor who did a Ku Klux Klan impersonation at his Black secretary and repeatedly groped her bottom has been fined and urged to undertake diversity training.
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.
