Latest news
“Not improper” for barrister to compare Israel with Nazi Germany
A barrister acted within professional boundaries in arguing that comparing Israel with Nazi Germany was not inherently antisemitic, the High Court has ruled – although his client’s tweets doing so were.
Electronic wills at heart of overhaul of 188-year-old law
Plans to modernise will making – including allowing electronic wills – and reduce the number of disputes were today published by the Law Commission.
SRA hands out record £4m fine to non-lawyer owner of failed firm
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has imposed its largest-ever fine, just shy of £4m, on the former non-solicitor owner of collapsed law firm Kingly Solicitors.
High Court upholds strike-off for solicitor’s antisemitic tweets
The High Court has upheld the decision to strike off a solicitor over tweets on Israel and Palestine, saying they showed “unvarnished antisemitic racism”.
Private equity boom pushes law firm valuations to “upper end”
Competition among private equity buyers has pushed the value of law firms to the “upper end” of their “legitimate range”, it was claimed yesterday.
In-house solicitors’ contracts should “incorporate ethical rules”
A template letter for formally incorporating professional ethical obligations into an in-house solicitor’s employment contract was published yesterday by the Law Society.
Vaginal mesh solicitor to face multiple charges at SDT
A solicitor who acted for hundreds of women in vaginal mesh claims before his firm was shut down is to appear before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
SRA to “ratchet up” AML blitz after £575,000 of fines in six months
The SRA has handed out 50 fines totalling £575,000 for AML rule breaches in the last six months and promised to “ratchet up the consequences” for firms that still do not comply.
SRA decides against changing who pays for compensation fund
There was little support for a SRA proposal to reapportion contributions to the compensation fund so that individual solicitors pay more than firms, it has emerged.
Veteran barrister disbarred after “prolonged period of incompetence”
A veteran barrister has been disbarred after a “prolonged period of incompetence” during which he operated from chambers condemned by the BSB as “disorganised and chaotic”.
Blog
The SRA and privileged material – this is not the end
All disclosure to the SRA must now exclude privileged material, which will not only hamper investigations but also cause additional work for firms providing disclosure.
Legal Ombudsman fee reforms risk widening the justice gap
Charging firms simply because a complaint moves through the process weakens the present connection between fees and fault. It could also encourage firms to settle for commercial reasons.
Why upfront information could transform home buying
The success of upfront property information will depend on more than simply making the information available.
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