Compliance & Regulation
Solicitor took money in “fraudulent breach of trust”
A solicitor has been ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds after the High Court made findings of fraud and fraudulent breach of trust against him.
Law firms fined £600,000 for AML breaches
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has fined 59 law firms a total of £600,000 in the past six months for breaching basic anti-money laundering rules.
CLC warns of “regulatory blind spots” on referral fees
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has warned of the risk of “regulatory blind spots” after a review of referral fees revealed shortcomings in firms documenting arrangements.
SRA presses on with separating management and compliance roles
The SRA is going ahead with rule changes to separate law firm managers who can “unilaterally” make decisions from compliance officer roles in all but the smallest firms.
SRA ordered to pay solicitor costs after failed dishonesty allegation
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has reprimanded a duty solicitor for backdating documents – but ordered the SRA to pay him costs after he was cleared of dishonesty.
Exclusive: SRA to appeal suspended suspension for “bullying” solicitor
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to appeal the decision to give only a suspended suspension to a law firm owner who bullied and harassed five junior members of staff.
CLC practices offer good but busy workplaces, research finds
There are good levels of job satisfaction across the conveyancing and probate communities regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers – but workloads are high.
Solicitor fabricated disclosure letter “to save job”
A solicitor who fabricated and backdated a disclosure letter to make it appear that he had complied with a court deadline has been struck off.
Senior lawyer made “unwanted advances” to junior staff at firm event
A senior male lawyer made unwanted and inappropriate remarks and advances to five junior female staff at a work event and post-event drinks, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has found.
Legal Services Act can be vehicle for reform of regulation, says LSB
Calls to reform the Legal Services Act 2007 overlook the many unused provisions in it that could facilitate major changes in regulation, the chief executive of the Legal Services Board has said.
Blog
Is clients’ use of AI destroying legal privilege?
Much has been written about the risks of lawyers misusing AI. However, in my view, the greater challenge lies elsewhere: the routine use of AI by clients themselves.
Does the Lloyd review mark the end of the Legal Services Act?
The Legal Services Board often generates eye-rolls and irritation from the leaders of the frontline regulators it oversees and of the representative bodies attached to them.
A familiar story?
There is no doubt that the rising cost of clinical negligence claims deserves attention. However, the system’s true cost driver is often not the claim itself.
