Latest news
First approval given for Legal Ombudsman’s in-year budget increase
The Legal Ombudsman’s first ever in-year call for supplementary budget, seeking an extra £344,000, has gone to the Lord Chancellor for approval after being given the green light by the Legal Services Board.
Still no rules but full steam to April for whiplash reforms, says MoJ
Ministers remain “determined” to implement the whiplash reforms next April, a top official said yesterday, although it is still not certain when the rules governing the process will be published.
Quality of AML reports from solicitors “getting worse”
The quality of one of the two main kinds of anti-money laundering reports made by solicitors has got significantly worse, a senior manager at the National Crime Agency said yesterday.
Knights hits the acquisition trail again with move into South-West
Listed law firm Knights has returned to the acquisition trail and its strategy of targeting secondary legal locations by striking a deal to move into Exeter, while also reporting “robust” trading.
Report questions equality initiatives that “set women apart”
Some of the measures used by law firms to tackle a lack of gender diversity in senior roles could be “ineffective or even counter-productive”, a report has found.
Commercial property solicitor’s “outrageous failure” leads to strike-off
A solicitor whose conduct of several property transactions has triggered multi-million-pound negligence claims against his former firm has now been struck off.
PII market “only getting harder” after 17% premium increase
The market for professional indemnity insurance is likely to continue to worsen but future premium rises should not be at the average of 17% seen this autumn, a leading broker has predicted.
Solicitor ordered to repay small part of legal aid fraud proceeds
A solicitor and her partner who defrauded a law firm and the Legal Aid Agency of almost £95,000 in a translation scam will have to repay just £5,584, a court decided last week.
“Massively busy” ABS plans further growth
An alternative business structure which launched as a specialist conveyancing firm with three staff in March 2019 is aiming to hit 50 staff across a range of practice areas by the end of 2021.
Transparency “will cure ills” of conveyancing referral fees
Transparency over referral fees in conveyancing work will drive out bad practice, a government official said yesterday, while also calling for greater consistency in how law firms publish their prices.
Blog
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.
Accountability has to live within governance, not with one person
The assumption has long been that a COLP or COFA is personally exposed to the consequences of anti-money laundering breaches.
