Latest news
SRA to start spot checks on firms’ Russia sanctions compliance
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to conduct spot checks on law firms to ensure they are complying with the sanctions imposed on Russian individuals, companies and ships.
Solicitor used residual balances to pay salaries and VAT bills
A solicitor who was a major figure in miners’ compensation claims has been fined for using £140,000 of residual balances in his client account to pay salaries and tax bills.
Rule will require solicitors to challenge colleagues’ improper behaviour
Solicitors will have a regulatory obligation to challenge colleagues who treat others unfairly or without respect as part of a plan to beef up the rules on health and wellbeing at work.
LeO boss: Efforts to close complaints more quickly starting to work
Efforts to close cases more quickly are having a positive impact on the performance of the Legal Ombudsman, with an influx of new recruits set to speed up progress.
Solicitor struck off for lying to avoid paying legal aid debt
A solicitor who lied about not having a bank account or any income other than benefits to avoid having to repay a debt to the Legal Aid Agency (Lhas been struck off.
Ex-Mishcon partner accepts £17,500 fine for AML failures
The partner whose conduct contributed to the record £232,000 fine handed out to Mishcon de Reya has been fined £17,500 himself.
Firm fired Jewish employee after taking time off for religious holiday
A law firm has been ordered to pay a former Jewish employee £26,500 in damages after it fired him for not attending work when instructed, even though it was a religious holiday he had booked off.
Scottish law firm can be sued for negligence in England
A Scottish law firm, which has no offices south of the border, has failed in a jurisdiction challenge to halt a negligence claim over advice a solicitor gave over a Cornish wind farm project.
A&O’s multi-strand strategy to improve diversity of barristers it uses
Broadening the exposure of its solicitors to new barristers, to avoid them just instructing the same counsel, is among the initiatives Allen & Overy is using to improve the diversity of those it instructs.
“Terminate your retainer” if client accepts pre-med whiplash offer
A lawyer whose client accepts a pre-medical offer to settle a whiplash claim against advice would have to terminate their retainer to comply with the Civil Liability Act 2018, a barrister has warned.
Blog
What is tech bloat and why is it a problem for law firms?
Too many law firms are adopting shiny new tech without first retiring their legacy systems, causing duplication and unnecessary costs.
The civil courts and the digital divide
Despite the government’s decision to increase Ministry of Justice funding, its budget for 2025-26 is still 14% lower in real terms than in 2007-08.
The Decent Homes Standard scandal
It is well established that the UK has the highest proportion of inadequate housing in all of Europe. But what if the heart of the problem is even worse than we think?
