Latest news
Government “unlikely to mandate” ways to speed up conveyancing
The government was yesterday told repeatedly of the need to mandate conveyancers and the rest of the home-moving sector to adopt new ways of working – but the calls look set to fall on deaf ears.
SDT fines senior solicitor £25,000 for sexual assault convictions
A senior solicitor convicted of sexually assaulting two women in his local pub has been fined £25,000 by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Firms risk SDT as they fail to act on new workplace conduct rules
Law firms are struggling to understand the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s workplace environment rules introduced earlier this year, a leading regulatory solicitor has warned.
Government pulls back on single regulator for insolvency practitioners
The government has rowed back on a proposal to introduce a single regulator for insolvency practitioners but will take statutory power to do it in future if needed.
From offensive emails to misusing client money – solicitor struck off
A solicitor whose misconduct “spiralled” from maladministration to using client money to pay personal expenses, and included calling a client a “spastick”, has been struck off.
SRA approves transfer of law firm owned by AIM-listed company
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has approved new owners for an alternative business structure set up by an AIM-listed personal pension provider.
Legal regulators and representatives join government SLAPPs taskforce
Legal regulators and representative bodies were yesterday named as members of a new government taskforce aiming to clamp down on SLAPPs.
Five-year jail sentence for man who defrauded probate clients
A “callous” man who purported to carry out probate for vulnerable clients has been jailed after admitting to defrauding them of nearly £1m.
Magic circle firm agrees to meet lawyer eco-campaigners
Slaughter and May has become the first magic circle law firm to agree to meet Lawyers Are Responsible, the campaigners urging big practices to stop work on fossil fuel projects.
Litigation funder eyes up $6.2bn return from single case
The world’s biggest litigation funder could recover an astonishing $6.2bn (£5bn) from a single piece of litigation after a US ruling in its clients’ favour.
Blog
The SRA’s client money reforms: good intentions, questionable execution
On the face of it, the SRA’s plans to tighten protections around client money sounds sensible. The detail, as ever, tells a more complicated story.
Recruitment, retention and reward in the legal accounts world
Understanding the legal finance market is important – not just for those actively involved in it day-to-day but also for leaders within law firms.
From ‘year zero’ to £6.5m – how a law firm found its second life
In 2018, I hit what I call ‘year zero’. On paper, Olliers Solicitors was a top-tier criminal defence firm but beneath the surface, I could see we were at a crossroads.
