Compliance & Regulation
Quality of AML reports from solicitors “getting worse”
The quality of one of the two main kinds of anti-money laundering reports made by solicitors has got significantly worse, a senior manager at the National Crime Agency said yesterday.
Commercial property solicitor’s “outrageous failure” leads to strike-off
A solicitor whose conduct of several property transactions has triggered multi-million-pound negligence claims against his former firm has now been struck off.
PII market “only getting harder” after 17% premium increase
The market for professional indemnity insurance is likely to continue to worsen but future premium rises should not be at the average of 17% seen this autumn, a leading broker has predicted.
Solicitor ordered to repay small part of legal aid fraud proceeds
A solicitor and her partner who defrauded a law firm and the Legal Aid Agency of almost £95,000 in a translation scam will have to repay just £5,584, a court decided last week.
Solicitor “proud” to have run £3.4m loan scheme with client cash
A solicitor who loaned £3.4m from clients’ estates and private lenders to other clients and “known individuals” – a broking operation he had carried out for decades – has been struck off.
High Court overturns “flawed” SDT decision to clear solicitor
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal “fell into serious error” in finding no case to answer against a solicitor accused of making a fraudulent costs claim, the High Court has ruled.
“Reckless” conveyancer agrees to leave profession
A “reckless” solicitor who admitted registering properties with the wrong purchase price and failing to carry out anti-money laundering checks has agreed to leave the profession.
SRA sees small firm practitioners as “easy targets”
The SRA has come under fire for how it deals with sole practitioners and solicitors at small firms, with the chair of the Society of Black Lawyers saying they were seen as “easy targets”.
Suspended solicitor who “went too far” is struck off
A solicitor who admitted that he “had gone too far and had done too much” by practising while suspended has been struck off, while his supervising partner has been suspended.
Public does not “fully understand” role of SRA
Members of the public still do not “fully understand” the role of the Solicitors Regulation Authority and leads to complaints about its service, the organisation’s independent reviewer has found.
Blog
Is your Google Ads budget funding your competitors’ AI visibility?
If your cost-per-click has crept up again this year, you’ve probably assumed the market simply got more expensive. That’s the wrong way to read what’s happening.
Containing the spread of unapproved AI
Nearly 60% of fee-earners admit to using unapproved tools (like free versions of ChatGPT). Yet 68% of firm leaders are confident there is zero risk of unapproved AI being used for client work.
When AI adoption goes wrong, costs add up fast
City AM recently reported that London is fighting to claim the title of ‘global capital of legal AI’. However, it’s crucial we remember that adoption alone does not create value.
