Compliance & Regulation
Spike in scam trade mark emails using names of real solicitors
There has been a rise in “highly convincing” scam emails targeting businesses and trade mark owners that use the names of genuine solicitors, a leading law firm has warned.
Employer confidence in SQE on the rise but slumps among students
Confidence in the SQE among employers has risen over the past three years but is still not particularly strong – and declined significantly among candidates.
Compliance officer banned after lying about being in office
A compliance officer at a City law firm who pretended he was at work when he was actually working from home – and continued to lie about it – has been banned from the profession.
CLC and consumer panel back radical review of Legal Ombudsman
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers and Legal Services Consumer Panel have both backed a radical review of the Legal Ombudsman and possibly a complete redesign of the scheme.
Suspended suspension for “manifestly incompetent” solicitor
A “manifestly incompetent” solicitor who facilitated one fraudulent and three potentially fraudulent property transactions has been given a suspended suspension.
Law Society tells LeO: Focus on performance, not reform
The Law Society is urging the Legal Ombudsman not to launch a fundamental review of its rules when it should be focusing on reducing its backlog of cases.
Compliance officers have “poor” knowledge of obligations
Law firm compliance officers have “poor” knowledge of the SRA reporting and record-keeping requirements, according to research by the regulator.
Managing partner “did not instigate” drunken kiss with paralegal
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has rejected an allegation that a managing partner instigated a non-consensual drunken kiss with a much younger paralegal.
Law Society applies to intervene in Mazur appeal
The Law Society is to seek to intervene in the Mazur appeal amid specialist lawyers’ prediction that more costs disputes are on the way following the High Court decision.
Solicitor without PC took money for work he never did
A solicitor who deceived a convicted client into believing he had a practising certificate, took money to pursue an appeal and then did not do the work has been struck off.
Blog
Accountability has to live within governance, not with one person
The assumption has long been that a COLP or COFA is personally exposed to the consequences of anti-money laundering breaches.
The SRA’s client money reforms: good intentions, questionable execution
On the face of it, the SRA’s plans to tighten protections around client money sounds sensible. The detail, as ever, tells a more complicated story.
Recruitment, retention and reward in the legal accounts world
Understanding the legal finance market is important – not just for those actively involved in it day-to-day but also for leaders within law firms.
