Latest news
Lawyers worried by over-reliance on SRA discretion post Dentons
Specialist regulatory lawyers have expressed concern that the High Court ruling in the Dentons case places too much reliance on the SRA’s view of the seriousness of rule breaches.
CLC deprecates “apology” by disqualified conveyancer
Disqualified licensed conveyancer Lloyd Davies did not “accurately” reflect the agreed facts of his case in his public statement about it, his regulator said yesterday in an unusual move.
Judge temporarily blocks Trump order targeting Clinton’s lawyers
A judge has issued a temporary block on an executive order from President Donald Trump targeting the major law firm that acted for Hillary Clinton.
Court: Solicitors’ breaches of AML rules “strict liability offences”
Breaches of AML rules are effectively strict liability offences and the SRA does not need to show severity to prove misconduct, the High Court ruled yesterday.
“Clear evidence” that solicitor apprenticeships aid social mobility
There is now “clear evidence” that solicitor apprenticeships are facilitating social mobility, analysis by the Solicitors Regulation Authority has shown.
Costs judge allows £700 an hour in biggest departure from guidelines
A costs judge has allowed a leading US law firm to recover partner costs at £700 per hour, said to be the largest ever departure from the guideline hourly rates.
AI will allow conveyancers “to resume role of trusted advisors”
Artificial intelligence will not mark the end of the traditional conveyancer and will instead put them back into their old trusted advisor role, a roundtable has heard.
SRA’s Philip says retirement plan predated Axiom Ince
The retirement of SRA chief executive Paul Philip has nothing to do with the Axiom Ince scandal, he has emphasised. Meanwhile, the chair of the BSB is stepping down too.
Solicitor cannot base victimisation claim on firm’s report to SRA
A solicitor cannot base a victimisation claim against her law firm at the employment tribunal on it reporting her to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, a judge has ruled.
City law firm takes action over “anti-Islam” HR advisor
City law firm CMS has taken “decisive action” after learning that a senior member of its HR team, a prospective Reform UK councillor, posted anti-Islamic and anti-transgender comments on X.
Blog
What the Equality Act adds to a housing claim
For those working across housing disrepair, there is a danger in viewing every case primarily through the condition of the property.
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.
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