Compliance & Regulation
Law firm owner rebuked for work of non-solicitor caseworker
A law firm owner has been rebuked after the Upper Tribunal declared an application for judicial review made by an immigration caseworker at his firm as totally without merit.
Solicitor who employed banned will writer is suspended
A solicitor who employed a will writer banned by the Solicitors Regulation Authority from working for law firms without its permission has been suspended for a month.
SRA rebukes Scottish firm over management of client money
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has issued a rebuke to a Scottish law firm for breaches of the accounts rules since taking over the work of collapsed McClure Solicitors.
MoJ warned about impact of diverting law firms’ client account interest
Legal aid firms will be the first to suffer if the Ministry of Justice presses ahead with the idea of using interest on lawyers’ client accounts to fund free legal services, it has been told.
Police office turned barrister disbarred for rape convictions
A barrister has been disbarred for raping a woman, when she was a teenager under 16 and when she was older, while he was a policeman in the 1980s.
Ban for office manager who took nearly £550,000 from firm
A part-time office manager who misappropriated nearly £550,000 from a law firm has been banned from working in the profession.
Two solicitors rebuked for taking client information when leaving firms
Two solicitors who took confidential client information from their former employers have been rebuked by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Gender-critical barrister praises BSB approach to ‘meritless’ complaints
A leading ‘gender critical’ barrister has praised the Bar Standards Board for the way it handles “meritless” complaints after rejecting two made against her.
Consultant-led law firms “pose greater money laundering risk”
The decentralised nature of consultant-led law firms carries extra money laundering risks that mean compliance officers may need to be “more interventionist”, the SRA has cautioned.
SRA to consult on strengthening continuing competence regime
The SRA is to consult on strengthening continuing competence requirements as it was not clear whether solicitors are reflecting properly on their practices.
Blog
The importance of benchmarking reports – and lessons on profitability
Regional firms reported the largest revenue growth this year (12%), outpacing their City counterparts. Yet many are not converting that growth into profitability.
Fixed recoverable costs: Sacrificing justice for predictability?
The extended fixed recoverable costs regime is failing to achieve its stated objectives. Instead of promoting fairness and efficiency, the rules are creating anomalies that undermine justice.
Expectations keep rising, so prioritise client experience
Law firms are facing growing pressure to place greater focus on client experience or risk falling behind in an increasingly competitive legal market.
