Latest news
Law firm with 24 offices ready to expand beyond Yorkshire
The managing partner of a fast-growing, employee-owned Yorkshire law firm says it is ready to expand outside the county after opening a 24th office.
MoJ floats referral fee ban to curb housing disrepair misconduct
A ban on referral fees and an increase in the small claims limit are among ideas floated yesterday by the government to curb “unscrupulous” behaviour in housing disrepair cases.
Conditions removed from work of solicitor suspended over drugs
A City solicitor suspended for a year after a second police caution for possessing cocaine has had conditions on his return to practice removed.
Estate agency praised for dropping referral fee demands
An estate agency has been praised for publicly disavowing future demands for referral fees, describing them as “the quiet scandal” in the industry.
Ex-law firm owner sentenced to 12 months in jail for contempt
The non-lawyer owner of a defunct law firm has been sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment for contempt after she failed to comply with a freezing order obtained by its previous owners.
Solicitor fined for failing to spot money laundering red flags
A solicitor who failed to spot red flags for potential fraud/money laundering while acting on two loans worth £464,000 has been fined £15,000.
Judicial mediation becoming a “safety net” for parties
A High Court master has explained how judicial mediation was able to resolve a dispute, where one of the sides was unable to afford a private mediation.
Digital property pack wins government data prize
A digital property pack which combines multiple sources of data into a “single source of truth” for conveyancers and others has won a government prize worth £50,000.
Barrister disbarred for sexual harassment was in “position of power”
A senior male barrister who sexually harassed a female junior shortly out of pupillage “must have appreciated that he was in a position of power and importance” to her.
Solicitor jailed for using drug money to pay mortgage struck off
A solicitor jailed for 26 months last year for using drug money generated by his twin brother to pay a mortgage has been struck off.
Blog
Change in regulator shouldn’t make AML less of a priority
While SRA fines for AML have been climbing, many in the profession aren’t confident they will get any relief from the FCA, a body used to dealing with a highly regulated industry.
There are 17 million wills waiting to be written
The main reason cited by people who do not have a will was a lack of awareness as to how to arrange one. As a professional community, we seem to be failing to get our message across.
The case for a single legal services regulator: why the current system is failing
From catastrophic firm collapses to endemic compliance failures, the evidence is mounting that the current multi-regulator model is fundamentally broken.
