Compliance & Regulation
Solicitor banned from management over accounts failure
A solicitor was kept in the dark by an experienced bookkeeper about improper transfers she was making from client to office account to keep the firm afloat, a tribunal has heard.
Solicitor “didn’t know what to do” with money from third party
A solicitor whose firm received over £530,000 into its client account from an unknown third party, “sat on it” because “we just didn’t know” what to do, a tribunal has heard.
Solicitor who used client money to buy jewellery is struck off
A director of a former London law firm who admitted fabricating grants of probate and using client money to buy jewellery has been struck off.
Solicitor fined after conviction for abusive Facebook messages
A junior solicitor diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome who was convicted after sending a woman he briefly dated abusive Facebook messages has now been fined £10,000 by a disciplinary tribunal.
Solicitor failed to advise on “obvious risks” of off-plan schemes
A solicitor who failed to advise on the “obvious risks” of four off-plan property development schemes has been fined £10,000. His advice was “so inadequate as to be incompetent”.
Solicitor faked court documents to mislead client
A solicitor has been struck off for falsifying court documents to make a client think his application to extend his leave to remain in the UK had been made before the leave had expired.
Tribunal upholds LSB decision not to release Leigh Day emails
The First-tier Tribunal has upheld the decision of the Legal Services Board not to release an email exchange with the Solicitors Regulation Authority over the Leigh Day case.
Licensed conveyancers to embrace third-party managed accounts
A revised accounts code that expressly allows firms of licensed conveyancers to use third-party managed accounts has been approved by the Legal Services Board.
Firm boss cleared of telling clients to delete holiday posts
The managing director of a Liverpool law firm has been cleared a tribunal of telling holiday sickness clients to delete social media posts which could undermine their claims.
90% of law firms “breaching transparency rules”
The vast majority of law firms are still failing to comply with the SRA rules on price transparency, a survey has found. The news comes with the regulator planning to step up its checks.
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.
