Compliance & Regulation
Suspension for solicitor who acted on both sides of case
A solicitor whose firm acted for both sides in litigation over a debt, despite him being told of the obvious conflict, has been suspended for six months.
Harman tells judges: You have a “clear” bullying problem
Judges have failed to acknowledge the “clear” problem of bullying and harassment among some on the bench, Baroness Harriet Harman told the Bar Council conference on Saturday.
Leading legal academics call for “overriding ethical duty”
The LSB should introduce an “overriding” ethical duty for lawyers, much like the overriding objective in civil procedure, the UCL Centre for Ethics and Law has argued.
Court issues stark warning to lawyers over AI-generated fake cases
The president of the King’s Bench Division today issued a stark warning to lawyers about the serious consequences they will face for misusing AI before the courts.
“Manifestly incompetent” solicitor suspended over running of firm
A sole practitioner who was dismissed as a consultant after selling their firm has been suspended for three months by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Ex-Linklaters employee banned for “serious sexual misconduct”
A former employee of Linklaters has been made subject to controls on his future employment in the profession over “serious sexual misconduct” targeted at a junior colleague.
Investigation raises doubts about rigour of Law Society’s CQS
Seven in 10 law firms fined for anti-money laundering breaches in recent months have Conveyancing Quality Scheme accreditation, raising serious questions about how it is checked and enforced.
Court protects solicitor deputies asked to pay off drug debt
The High Court has ordered two solicitors acting as deputies for a man in his 20s not to pay off a £17,000 debt he owes drug dealers.
APIL urges regulators to act over “scattergun” dishonesty claims
Abuse of the fundamental dishonesty rules by some defendants in personal injury cases is likely to escalate if regulators do not address the issue, according to APIL.
Law firm slapped with £80,000 fine for AML breaches
A London law firm has been fined nearly £80,000 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for failures to comply with the anti-money laundering rules, one of the largest to date.
Blog
From ‘year zero’ to £6.5m – how a law firm found its second life
In 2018, I hit what I call ‘year zero’. On paper, Olliers Solicitors was a top-tier criminal defence firm but beneath the surface, I could see we were at a crossroads.
Linklaters’ chief growth officer takes the ‘blank sheet’ challenge
In the third and final part of this series, Lucy Murphy, chief growth officer at magic circle firm Linklaters, outlines her vision for the law firm of the future.
The ‘blank sheet’ challenge, part 2 – what would you do differently?
In the second part of this blog series, Shainul Kassam, managing director of small London firm Fortune Law, sets out how she would set up a law firm now.
