Latest news
SDT lifts restrictions on twice-fined solicitor despite SRA objection
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has lifted practising conditions on the former partner of a law firm whom it has twice fined, latterly £20,000 for “very serious misconduct”.
Solicitors “went too far” after client was given vulnerability order
Solicitors were wrong to allow a client to see cross-examination questions that had been drafted by the other side under a vulnerable witness order, a High Court judge has held.
Partner’s trainee supervision failure aided “property hijacks”
The boss of a Manchester law firm has been fined £12,500 for failing to supervise his trainee properly in conveyancing transactions that “bore the hallmarks of property hijacks”.
Pilot suggests mediation in possession cases unpopular
The government’s tenancy mediation service pilot, which hoped to have 3,000 successful resolutions, ended up with just four, a review published this week has shown.
Man jailed after solicitors catch £2m will fraud
Solicitors have helped rumble a man now jailed for creating a false letter of wishes in an attempt to steal more than £2m from a deceased friend’s estate.
Judges urged to call out role of lawyers in “layering” PI claims
The ruling of a district judge highlighting apparent collusion between solicitors, medical experts and others in inflating a personal injury claim is an important landmark in the fight against fraud.
New family law firm commits to four-day working week
The founder of a new family law firm has said she works a four-day week and will be recruiting staff to work in the same way. The “emotionally draining” nature of the work made it important.
NAO castigates “rushed” court modernisation programme
The National Audit Office has panned the government’s court modernisation programme, saying HMCTS put delivery “at pace” before “sustainable change”.
Solicitor instructed and paid by clients without telling firm
An immigration solicitor who misappropriated £31,500 of his law firm’s fees by failing to record clients and then pocketing their fees has been struck off.
Manifestly incompetent solicitor fined for role in “secret sale”
A solicitor who facilitated a “secret, snap sale of inheritance property” after which the seller absconded to Morocco with proceeds to which he was not entitled has been fined for missing multiple warning signs.
Blog
The profession can play a greater role in improving access to justice
In this, the third blog of my series, I focus on what lawyers in the UK can do to improve access to justice through greater professional stewardship.
Does AI work for conveyancers? We asked those on the front line
What is the view on AI from conveyancers themselves? Based on a Dye & Durham’s roundtable discussion on AI, the answer is: it depends.
Is the legal profession ready for agentic AI?
An AI agent is difficult to supervise. By design, it works in the background. It means a solicitor can be held responsible for work they had no real means to oversee.
Reports
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