Latest news
Tribunal sanctions partners who borrowed from Axiom fund at second time of asking
Two partners found by the High Court to have displayed “manifest incompetence” in accepting £573,000 lent to their law firm by the controversial Axiom Legal Financing Fund, have been respectively suspended and fined by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
SRA fails in bid to recover £800,000 of intervention costs from Blavo & Co owner
A bankruptcy judge has set aside statutory demands worth nearly £800,000 issued by the Solicitors Regulation Authority against the founder of collapsed firm Blavo & Co, which were to cover the cost of shutting down what was the UK’s leading mental health practice.
Exclusive: Here comes Billy, the robot junior clerk
Innovative chambers Clerksroom is building Billy.Bot, a ‘robot junior clerk’ that will do the work of a traditional barristers’ clerk and also provide basic legal information to online users, Legal Futures can reveal. That is, except for taking a cut of barristers’ earnings.
Does a lack of integrity show dishonesty? High Court says yes as it overturns “flawed” strike-off
A High Court judge has overturned a decision by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal to strike off a former partner of national law firm Bond Dickinson, because the distinction it drew between acting without integrity and being dishonest meant the whole case against him was flawed.
Significant rise in number of solicitors struck off, as tribunal faces ever more complex cases
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal struck off 35% more solicitors in the last calendar year than the one before, its annual report has revealed. Meanwhile, the legal costs awarded to the Solicitors Regulation Authority for bringing the prosecutions rocketed from £1.7m to over £3m – an increase of 76%.
Paralegal who lied on CV barred from solicitors’ profession
A paralegal who secured a job on the back of a false CV and later faked letters to hide the fact that he had missed a court date has effectively been thrown out of the profession. Among other things, he claimed to have attended Yale University, whereas in fact he had just submitted a research paper for the law review, which was not published.
Outstanding value? LSB persuades legal regulators to publish annual costs statements
The Legal Services Board has persuaded all the legal regulators to produce straightforward annual statements on their costs so that practitioners can clearly see how their money is being spent, it has emerged. As a result, the LSB has shut down its cost of regulation project and publish its own statement of costs.
Cost of Legal Ombudsman to rise for first time as unpaid case fees cause problems
The Legal Ombudsman’s budget is set to rise for the first time since its creation – by £1m – with claims management companies not paying the case fees they have been charged the key cause and more expected to follow as they continue to go out of business.
Let lawyers control supply of electronic legal documents, report says
Lawyers should control the supply of “so-called standard electronic documents”, such as confidentiality deeds or contracts, a report has suggested. The report also highlighted the ethical and regulatory issues raised by artificial intelligence.
“Superficial” partners lack knowledge of clients’ businesses, report finds
Many senior partners lack all but a “basic knowledge” of their clients’ businesses, leading to “superficial” interactions and a “disconnect between law firms and their clients”, a report has found. As a result, in-house counsel are now looking at alternative providers.
Blog
Five golden links for a caring Christmas and New Year
This time of year always sharpens thoughts about how we look after and support elderly clients and those, elderly or otherwise, who find themselves in vulnerable circumstances.
Amplifying reach through employee-driven thought leadership
Nine in 10 executives believe thought leadership is critical to building authority, yet only a quarter feel they have implemented a robust strategy.
Divorce escrow: asset sales before final settlement
When significant matrimonial assets are sold before a final financial order is agreed, holding the proceeds safely and neutrally can present real practical challenges.
