Compliance & Regulation

Two high-profile Solicitors Regulation Authority prosecutions for alleged misconduct by libel lawyers failed last week.

Two non-solicitor directors of SSB Group have been disqualified from working in the profession after the Solicitors Regulation Authority found they had been dishonest.

Moving the supervision of lawyers’ anti-money laundering activities to the Financial Conduct Authority will strengthen the fight against fraud, a campaigning MP has told Legal Futures.

An SRA review of law firm acquisitions has highlighted failures and behaviours on the part of some target firms as a cause for concern.

All law firm accountant’s reports will have to be submitted to the SRA in future, and sole owners will not generally be allowed to hold compliance roles too, under proposals published today.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has shut down four law firms so far this week – two of them connected to the same man.

Both the structure and delivery of legal services – such as a lack of guidance and reactive communication – can cause difficulties for consumers, new research has found.

The Legal Services Board has expressed “significant concerns about the viability” of the Legal Ombudsman scheme as it struggles to get its caseload under control.

Digitally excluded consumers need law firms to maintain “meaningful offline routes” to services because “digital transformation is not inherently progressive”, says a report for four legal regulators.

The government yesterday pledged further action to target professional enablers of fraud, like corrupt lawyers, and called for “innovative” approaches to strengthening ethics.