Latest news
Solicitor duped by private investigator into revealing client info
A solicitor disclosed client information after being deceived into meeting a private investigator working for the other side in major litigation, in the belief he was pitching for a new client.
“Tantamount to blackmail” – law firms granted harassment injunction
A law firm, its professional indemnity insurer – and another law firm acting for both – have been granted a permanent injunction to stop the father of an ex-client harassing them.
Partners give SRA undertakings over clearing residual balances
A law firm that continued to allow residual balances to accrue on dozens of files for nearly a decade, even after being warned by the SRA, has been rebuked.
GenAI could “reinforce rather than disrupt” the billable hour
The adoption of generative AI by lawyers “has the potential to reinforce rather than disrupt the billable hour model”, a legal academic has argued.
Barrister sounds court security alarm after witnessing mass brawl
A barrister has spoken out about court security after a fight broke out between around 15 people in the coroner’s court where he was acting last week.
Merricks: Funders should not be able to use “secret” arbitrations
Funders of collective actions should not be allowed to bring confidential arbitration proceedings against their clients, Walter Merricks – who brought the landmark Mastercard claim – argued last night.
Suspension for solicitor who recruited disbarred barrister fraudster
A veteran solicitor “duped” when recruiting a disbarred barrister with a fraud conviction – having not checked his background – has been suspended for 18 months.
SRA closes down practice of leading sports lawyer
The Solicitors Regulation Authority yesterday closed down the practice of a high-profile sports lawyer who has acted for the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Tyson Fury.
Digital assets “to play central role in law firm M&A”
Digital assets, data and “repeatable, digitally enabled processes” will play a central role in future law firm mergers, two leading advisers have predicted.
Volume litigation and law firm consolidators on LSB’s agenda
Volume litigation, consolidator law firms and unregulated legal service providers are the focus of a new consumer protection programme launched by the Legal Services Board.
Blog
Change in regulator shouldn’t make AML less of a priority
While SRA fines for AML have been climbing, many in the profession aren’t confident they will get any relief from the FCA, a body used to dealing with a highly regulated industry.
There are 17 million wills waiting to be written
The main reason cited by people who do not have a will was a lack of awareness as to how to arrange one. As a professional community, we seem to be failing to get our message across.
The case for a single legal services regulator: why the current system is failing
From catastrophic firm collapses to endemic compliance failures, the evidence is mounting that the current multi-regulator model is fundamentally broken.
