Compliance & Regulation
High Court rejects bias claim against SDT panel chair
The High Court has rejected claims of bias against the chair of a Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal panel made as part of long-running proceedings against a major City law firm.
Solicitor “used one bankruptcy to camouflage another”
A veteran solicitor who used the existence of his first bankruptcy in 1993 to “camouflage the existence” and the need to report his second in 2014 has been struck off.
Zahawi solicitor “ignored” regulatory duties with email
The solicitor for former Conservative MP Nadeem Zahawi either “ignored or dismissed his regulatory responsibilities” in trying to stop publication of an email he sent, the SDT has decided.
Ex-solicitor cited fake cases in bid to appeal strike-off
The High Court has refused to extend time for a former solicitor to appeal against being struck off in 2017 and in any event struck out the grounds for citing 25 non-existent cases.
“Not improper” for barrister to compare Israel with Nazi Germany
A barrister acted within professional boundaries in arguing that comparing Israel with Nazi Germany was not inherently antisemitic, the High Court has ruled – although his client’s tweets doing so were.
SRA hands out record £4m fine to non-lawyer owner of failed firm
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has imposed its largest-ever fine, just shy of £4m, on the former non-solicitor owner of collapsed law firm Kingly Solicitors.
High Court upholds strike-off for solicitor’s antisemitic tweets
The High Court has upheld the decision to strike off a solicitor over tweets on Israel and Palestine, saying they showed “unvarnished antisemitic racism”.
In-house solicitors’ contracts should “incorporate ethical rules”
A template letter for formally incorporating professional ethical obligations into an in-house solicitor’s employment contract was published yesterday by the Law Society.
Vaginal mesh solicitor to face multiple charges at SDT
A solicitor who acted for hundreds of women in vaginal mesh claims before his firm was shut down is to appear before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
SRA to “ratchet up” AML blitz after £575,000 of fines in six months
The SRA has handed out 50 fines totalling £575,000 for AML rule breaches in the last six months and promised to “ratchet up the consequences” for firms that still do not comply.
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.
