Compliance & Regulation
Non-lawyer owner of ABS banned for operating without lawyer
The non-lawyer former owner of a law firm has been disqualified from involvement in another one after breaching the terms of its authorisation as an ABS.
SRA: Solicitors “lack confidence” over artificial intelligence
Solicitors’ lack of confidence about lawtech and AI could lead to them missing out on the opportunities – and put their clients at risk too, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has said.
City firm partner fined for unwitting role in property fraud
A property partner who failed to undertake proper anti-money laundering checks on a client involved in a “substantial fraud” has been fined £27,500.
Solicitors with civil higher rights poised to overtake criminal
The number of solicitors with civil higher rights of audience is poised to overtake criminal for the first time, Solicitors Regulation Authority figures have shown.
New Bar Council chair urges proactive coaching for all barristers
Having a coach to support wellbeing should be part of everyday practice at the Bar like having an accountant and insurance, the new chair of the Bar said last night.
KPMG to break new ground by launching ABS in America
KPMG is set to become the first of the Big Four accountancy firms to set up a regulated law firm in the US after applying for a licence in the state that allows non-lawyer owners.
Regulators accused of doing “nothing” to improve client-care letters
It is “an indictment” on all the legal regulators that “nothing substantial” has been done to tackle the problem of “complex and difficult to read” client-care letters.
Paralegal disqualified for attendance notes of calls he didn’t make
A paralegal who did not make the dozens of phone calls he recorded in attendance notes has been disqualified. He also reallocated his files to colleagues without telling them.
Suspended suspension for solicitor who fabricated email
A solicitor who dishonestly created and backdated a letter to the landlord of a vulnerable client has been handed a 12-month suspension, suspended for 24 months.
SRA imposes control order on CILEX lawyer who misled lender client
A CILEX lawyer who misled her lender client so as to complete a residential property transaction has been made subject to a control order by the SRA.
Blog
The real cure for inequality at law firms? Listening
How can men, as one male panellist put it, “get out of the way of people coming up through the ranks?”
Most of these conversations only happen after the men leave the room.
Andy Burnham and the Hillsborough Law: should solicitors be worried?
Now that Andy Burnham has become prime minister, the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, otherwise known as the Hillsborough Law, will receive a real boost of political capital.
Defending fair fees in the property profession
If the property industry is serious about moving towards 28-day exchanges, then it must confront not only the practical barriers, but the commercial behaviours too.
