Compliance & Regulation
OFSI: Lawyers’ sanctions failures mainly down to licence breaches
Most sanctions non-compliance by UK legal services providers is due to breaches of Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation licence conditions, it has revealed.
Chartered legal executives could get standalone litigation rights
CILEx Regulation has launched plans for chartered legal executives to obtain standalone rights to conduct litigation without having to seek rights of audience at the same time.
Assistant solicitor fined for costly undertaking failures
An assistant solicitor whose failure to comply with an undertaking in a property transaction cost his firm’s insurer £440,000 has been fined £5,500.
Ban for legal executive who fabricated admissions and pleadings
A chartered legal executive who fabricated court pleadings, expert reports and letters from third parties has been disqualified from working for solicitors’ firms.
SRA uses settlement agreements “to put pressure on solicitors”
Solicitors need to have confidence that they will be treated fairly by their regulator if they are to be encouraged to admit errors, a former partner suspended for misconduct has argued.
Top employment solicitor hits out at conduct of big City law firms
A leading employment lawyer has hit out at the conduct of some law firms when negotiating non-disclosure agreements for employers.
Barrister made nude modelling comments to trainee police officer
The barrister and amateur photographer suspended for two years for a conversation with a woman about nude modelling made the comments to a trainee police officer.
SRA: Claims firms “destabilised” by litigation funding deals
Relationships with litigation funders are destabilising some high-volume consumer claims law firms, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has warned.
Tribunal warns solicitors of dangers when acting for family
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has warned solicitors of the dangers of acting for family members after fining one who preferred his wife in the distribution of an estate.
Settlement agreement legal fees part of NDA problem, MPs told
The money employers have to pay employees for legal advice on settlement agreements is not enough to deal with the NDAs they routinely include, MPs were told yesterday.
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.
