Compliance & Regulation
“Deplorable” solicitor struck off for manifest incompetence
A solicitor condemned by one judge for “wanton failures” to comply with court orders and by another for “the worst case of wholesale failure” he had ever seen, has been struck off.
Firm’s insurer targets fraud exception to defeat £6m claim
Insurer Axis Specialty Europe is trying to exclude its liability for losses of nearly £6m suffered by a US property company due to a fraud perpetrated by a solicitor.
Barrister sanctioned for own fundamentally dishonest PI claim
A non-practising barrister who had his personal injury claim thrown out as fundamentally dishonest has been banned for returning to practice for nine months.
Newly qualified left in charge of firm rebuked over client account failures
A newly qualified solicitor left holding the fort when the sole principal she was working for was hospitalised, has been rebuked after apparent conveyancing frauds happened on her watch.
SRA business plan targets solicitor-advocates and technology
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to check the training records of solicitor-advocates working in the higher courts, its latest business plan has revealed.
Barrister struck off over sexual assault on colleague
A barrister who groped a colleague’s breasts during a night out – for which he was later convicted – and then asked her to lie to help him cover his tracks with his fiancee has been disbarred.
“Slapdash” conveyancer fined £10,000 by SDT
A solicitor who lost sight of who was her client and whose actions in a conveyancing transaction were described as “slapdash” has been fined £10,000.
SRA approves cyber-losses clause despite insurer concerns
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to add a clause on cyber-losses to the minimum terms and conditions of insurance despite concerns expressed by the insurance industry.
City giant to face trial over alleged conflicts of interest
City giant Hogan Lovells only achieved partial success in a bid for summary judgment over complaints that it had multiple conflicts of interest while acting for a Ukrainian tycoon.
Divorce fraud barrister fails in appeal against disbarment
A barrister who deliberately gave the court a wrong address in an effort to obtain a divorce fraudulently has lost his appeal against being disbarred.
Blog
The new metrics for success in conveyancing
While technology has made much of the conveyancing process faster, there remains a practical limit to how many matters anyone can manage while still keeping standards intact.
The UK legal market is polarising – and the middle is disappearing
Consolidation and the boutique boom are not contradictory. They are the same market stretching apart at both ends – and it changes what your firm is worth, and to whom.
Conveyancing’s consistency problem is about pressure, not skills
When I qualified, a conveyancer had perhaps 10 or 12 plates to keep spinning. Today’s conveyancers have 20 or 30, and almost none of the room for error I had starting out.
Reports
Associates
