Latest news
Solicitor asked boss to help cover up her misconduct
A solicitor kept money meant for counsel for several months, altered the date of a fee note from his chambers and then pleaded with her boss to hide it from the regulator.
Report calls for disclosure, not ban, of estate agent referral fees
The much-anticipated report from National Trading Standards on estate agents charging referral fees has not recommended banning the practice, calling instead for mandatory disclosure.
LSB hints at forcing regulators to fund Legal Choices
The frontline regulators may be forced to fund the Legal Choices website if it is to reach its potential to become a “flagship consumer resource”, the Legal Services Board has hinted.
Fine for drunk solicitor who assaulted 18-year-old woman
A leading criminal law solicitor convicted of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman while drunk in Newcastle city centre on New Year’s Eve has been fined by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
S&G to “automate everything” as it says: The future is digital
Slater & Gordon’s ambition to become the country’s leading consumer law firm will mainly be fulfilled online as it looks to automate as much legal work as it can, its chief executive has explained.
Disabled lawyers “benefit from homeworking during pandemic”
The suspension of office working under lockdown has helped improve the mental and physical health of disabled lawyers, research has indicated.
No sanction for trainee who billed “in anticipation” of doing work
An under-pressure trainee solicitor who billed for work she anticipated doing has not been sanctioned by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, even though she did not eventually do it.
LSB issues wide-ranging list of weaknesses in legal market
The LSB has issued a damning diagnosis of weaknesses in the structure of the market, including inadequate transparency by law firms and smaller regulators unable to cope with the change needed.
MoJ: “Time has come” to mandate online probate applications
The “time has come” for solicitors and other professional users to apply for the vast majority of grants of probate online – but not yet letters of administration – the government said yesterday.
Review of BSB decision-making will not cover exams furore
The Legal Services Board has launched its review of the quality of the Bar Standards Board’s decision-making – but is not going to look at the controversy around last month’s Bar exams.
Blog
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.
The SRA’s client money reforms: good intentions, questionable execution
On the face of it, the SRA’s plans to tighten protections around client money sounds sensible. The detail, as ever, tells a more complicated story.
