Latest news
“Significant weaknesses” in legal regulators’ approach to money laundering
There are “differing levels of achievement and some significant weaknesses” among the UK’s legal regulators in their approach to anti-money laundering, their oversight body has reported.
CA: Lawyers can be cross-examined in wasted costs applications
Judges have the power to direct cross-examination of a lawyer against whom a wasted costs order is sought, but it should be “very much the exception”, the Court of Appeal said yesterday.
“Lessons for other legal regulators” from Faculty Office review
The Legal Services Board has said other legal regulators could learn lessons from a highly critical review it has published on the Faculty Office, the regulator of notaries.
Not our job to help retired solicitors “sleep easy”, says SRA
It is not the job of the Solicitors Regulation Authority to help retired solicitors “sleep easy” by protecting them from historic negligence claims, its director of regulatory policy has warned.
Vos unveils group to help steer civil justice system into the future
The Master of the Rolls has named legal futurist Professor Richard Susskind as chair of a new high-powered group tasked with drawing a road-map for the civil justice system through the 2020s.
ABS aims to lead the field in horse-related legal work
An alternative business structure has been launched in Cheshire, specialising entirely in horse-related legal work. Many solicitors who deal with them “don’t have a clue about horses”, it said.
Commercial lawyer fined for providing banking facility to client
A solicitor at a commercial law firm in Cardiff has been fined £24,000 for recklessly providing a banking facility for a client over a period of almost two years.
Supreme Court strikes down £3bn Google data protection claim
The Supreme Court has blocked a £3bn representative action for misuse of private data by Google that did not seek to prove that consumers had actually suffered any damage.
Seller’s conveyancer calls police after harassment from buyers
A conveyancer has described how she ended up fearing for her safety and calling the police after harassment from the buyers on the other side.
Partner struck off for telling “outrageous” lies to SRA
A tribunal has condemned a partner’s “outrageous” lies to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, made in a bid to frustrate its investigation into her firm.
Blog
A letter from the SRA? Your first reaction matters
An email from the SRA has a way of rearranging a working day. It arrives in the same inbox as everything else, often in the same measured tone, yet it carries a different weight.
Regulate sole practices on evidence, not turnover
For a sole practice, the SRA’s plan that I cannot hold a compliance role if my firm has more than £600,000 of turnover is not a measure of risk. It is a ceiling on growth.
Is Google becoming pay-to-play for law firms?
For years, law firms have been told that SEO is the long-term alternative to paying for every click. That principle hasn’t disappeared but search results have changed significantly.
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