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The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has struck off a solicitor who took £112,000 of historic client balances, having twice rejected agreements between him and the Solicitors Regulation Authority that he would instead just remove himself from the roll. He told his fellow director that he was transferring the funds to office account because “we needed the monies”.

A business that supplies unregulated legal services to SME clients worldwide via a virtual law firm using more than 100 consultant lawyers, has added an alternative business structure to its group to offer regulated services to UK consumers.

A solicitor who helped himself to client money while carrying out what he claimed was a “tidying-up” exercise of historic client account balances has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. The tribunal decided that his actions showed a “lack of moral soundness, a lack of rectitude and no adherence to an ethical code”.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service is working with Microsoft to build a prototype for a fully virtual hearing, which will tested in October, it has emerged. The latest development in the £1bn modernisation of the courts and tribunals, it will pilot virtual case management hearings in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber.

A solicitor has been struck off after he bought his home and his firm’s office for £1.3m but dishonestly declared he had paid only £265,000 altogether, in order to avoid paying over £50,000 in stamp duty land tax. He also attempted to dissuade the HMRC from making fines it issued to him public so as not to alert the SRA.

Law firms still have a long way to go in dealing with enquiries from potential clients, with a failure to follow up initial contacts a particular weakness, mystery shopping research has found. In the most extreme example, not one of the 50 SME law firms that received a walk-in enquiry followed it up.

Edward Hands & Lewis, a Leicester-based law firm with 15 branches, is planning to launch a national network of franchised offices next year. Its senior partner said: “I’m a passionate believer in the high street solicitor, and I would love to see our brand in every high street. This is the best way to do it.”

US law firm White & Case has overhauled the way it deals with conflicts of interest in the wake of the investigation that led to its record £250,000 fine last month, including ensuring it can deal with differences between the UK and US, it has emerged. The full ruling of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal included strong words for the firm.

A clerk who handled cases for one law firm while being employed by another has been banned from working in the profession by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. A regulatory settlement agreement published yesterday said that Eugenia Dakwa also accepted a rebuke for her misconduct.

Fairpoint Group plc – the AIM-listed company that owns national law firm Simpson Miller – has today appointed joint administrators and announced its intention to leave the stock exchange, but stressed that its legal business will continue to trade as a going concern due to its separate funding.