Compliance & Regulation
Legal Ombudsman seeks 12% budget rise as complaints mount
The Legal Ombudsman has recommended a £2.4m, or 12.1%, increase in its budget for next year to cope with fast-rising levels of complaints and conduct a radical review of how it operates.
Junior solicitor struck off for lying in pupillage application
A junior solicitor at a leading City law firm who lied about his academic achievements on a pupillage application when trying to move to the Bar has been struck off.
First legal executive should have new litigation rights in six weeks
The first chartered legal executive with standalone litigation practice rights could be authorised in six weeks’ time, with around 2,300 expected to apply for them in the next 18 months.
Ethics and profits clash “regularly”, say general counsel
Most general counsel at large UK companies have said that ethical and moral concerns “regularly” come into conflict with “profit motivations”.
A third of law firms non-compliant with AML rules
Nearly a third of law firms checked by the SRA for their approach to anti-money laundering in the past year were non-compliant, a big rise on the previous 12 months.
Male barrister disbarred for sexually harassing woman at social events
A male barrister who sexually harassed the same woman at two different social events has been disbarred by a Bar disciplinary tribunal.
Solicitor who criticised “draconian” strike-off cannot return to roll
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has refused a solicitor’s bid to be restored to the roll just three years after being struck off for dishonesty.
Legal Services Board sets out scope of Mazur review
The Legal Services Board is to probe “the scale and impact” of breaches of the right to conduct litigation in the wake of the Mazur ruling.
Consultancy for law firms and investors spins out of City practice
A specialist strategic consultancy advising lawyers, investors and regulators has spun out of a City law firm as demand for help in navigating the legal market grows.
Law firms disagree on what should be considered a complaint
Law firms are divided over what should be regarded as a complaint from clients, a survey by the Solicitors Regulation Authority has found.
Blog
Why law firms are getting AI supervision wrong
The profession’s response to AI supervision failures misunderstands the nature of LLM output – there needs to be for a shift in the culture.
Beyond the PII premium – rethinking risk
Professional indemnity insurance renewal is often treated as an annual pricing exercise. But it is also a chance to show how effectively you identify, manage and mitigate risk.
The AI governance gap in law firms and why it matters now
A third of law firms are already using AI tools with no formal policy in place to govern how AI gets used, what data goes into it, or who’s accountable when something goes wrong.
Reports
Associates
