Compliance & Regulation
Government pledges post-Brexit qualifications recognition
The UK government will put in place a temporary system to recognise the professional qualifications of EU lawyers post 1 January 2021 if no agreement is reached before Brexit.
Solicitor who didn’t understand transactions suspended
A solicitor who did not understand the complex financial transactions he was acting on – which potentially had connections to Mexican drug cartels – has been suspended from practice.
Judge rejects challenges to £13k award for age discrimination solicitor
A judge has refused applications from both sides to reconsider his decision to award an experienced property solicitor damages of £13,200 for age discrimination by a law firm.
Lawtech start-up focused on security raises further £1m
A lawtech start-up specialising in identity and source of funds checks for conveyancers has attracted high-profile investors including the co-founders of Funding Circle in raising £1m.
Solicitor suspended for holiday sickness retainer failures
A law firm director has been suspended after failing to ensure that holiday sickness clients referred by introducers had instructed the firm or knew claims were being pursued on their behalf.
Law Society warns firms of steep rise in insurance premiums
Law firms are facing a 30% increase in their professional indemnity insurance this year, and even more for those with bad claims histories, the Law Society has warned.
Ex-SDT chief urges ‘fitness to practise’ regime to help solicitors with mental health problems
The SRA needs to introduce a ‘fitness to practise’ regime as a better way to deal with young solicitors with mental health problems, the former chief executive of the SDT has told Legal Futures.
Solicitor cleared of beating bouncer with stiletto
A 5’2” commercial property solicitor has been cleared of assault by beating after she hit a nightclub bouncer over the head with her stiletto.
Accountants offered new route to setting up ABSs
Accountants and firms regulated by the ACCA will have a pathway to handling all the reserved activities under the plan to transfer supervision of their legal work to CILEx Regulation.
SFO charges three men over Axiom fund collapse
Two former solicitors and a former independent financial adviser have been charged with multiple offences in connection with the collapse of the Axiom Legal Financing Fund.
Blog
The questions that determine if the SRA’s client money reforms will work
Both reforms respond to real and well-evidenced gaps in the current framework. The SRA’s changes after consultation feedback shows it’s listening. But structural change on paper is only half the job.
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.
Reports
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