Latest news
Solicitor’s mismanagement combined with COFA’s incompetence
A solicitor whose “reckless mismanagement” of her law firm’s finances damaged the profession’s reputation has been struck off, and her COFA banned for “manifest incompetence”.
Profession claims victory in fight against extended court hours
The legal profession claimed victory last night in the fight against extended operating hours in the criminal courts – although the Ministry of Justice has not yet confirmed it.
Conveyancer blamed secretary to “cover up lack of progress”
A solicitor who lied to a lender, a client, his law firm and the Land Registry to cover up the lack of progress made on his clients’ matters – but blamed his secretary – has been struck off.
AI can form part of anti-money laundering armoury, law firms told
New technologies such as biometrics, machine learning and artificial intelligence can now form part of the anti-money laundering armoury, law firms have been told.
MPs warn of dangers of stamp duty “cliff edge”
Conservative and Labour MPs have warned of the danger that the property market will fall off a “cliff edge” when the stamp duty holiday ends at the end of March.
LeO “setting itself up to fail” with budget plans
The Legal Ombudsman is “setting itself up to fail” by proposing to give itself more work than it can cope with and asking for an “extraordinary high” budget increase of 19%.
Solicitor jailed for money laundering returns to profession
A solicitor who was jailed for four years for money laundering offences has been readmitted to the roll after the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal found he had been “totally rehabilitated”.
Most firms made a profit last year despite Covid, survey finds
The vast majority of law firms have made a profit since March, showing that predictions the pandemic would wreak havoc in the profession have not come to pass, according to new research.
High Court: Law firm was not operating collective investment scheme
A law firm which did the conveyancing work on two failed off-plan housing developments was not operating an unregulated collective investment scheme, the High Court has ruled.
New practising fee rules will allow “more meaningful debate”
The Legal Services Board has introduced new rules to ensure legal regulators explain more clearly how they spend the money they raise through the compulsory levies on lawyers.
Blog
Reorientation in the AI era must begin with the client
Much of the discussion about AI in the legal industry focuses on technology: which tools to adopt and which tasks might get automated. But this misses the deeper story.
Awaab’s Law phase 2: New hazards council tenants can now claim for
The conversation on housing disrepair is moving beyond damp and mould alone. With the rollout of phase 2 of Awaab’s Law, the scope of issues covered is expanding significantly,
Beyond PCP: Can regulators and lawyers work better together next time?
Nearly a decade after the Financial Conduct Authority began investigating the car finance industry, the story of the PCP commission scandal is still unfinished.
