Compliance & Regulation
Court of Appeal reinstates Legal Ombudsman finding against law firm
The Court of Appeal has reinstated a Legal Ombudsman decision that a law firm failed to adequately assess a client’s capacity and should pay her compensation.
BSB suspends ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan
The Bar Standards Board has suspended Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, two years after allegations were made against him.
Third of barristers face regular ethical challenges
A third of barristers face regular ethical issues and challenges in their practices but they benefit from “a solid system of training and support”, research has found.
Judge refers KC for contempt hearing over closing speech
The KC accused of not following court directions in his closing speech has been referred to a presiding judge to consider contempt proceedings.
Strike-off for solicitor who fabricated emails and blamed secretary
A solicitor who fabricated emails in a way that pinned the blame for a missed deadline on his secretary has been struck off.
“Partisan” solicitor gave woman’s contact details to ex-partner
A family solicitor who was “unnecessarily partisan” in acting for a father has been fined for trying to force the mother to reveal where she and her children lived.
Senior barrister disbarred for sexual comments to junior colleagues
The barrister head of Gloucestershire Police’s legal department has been disbarred after making inappropriate sexual comments to junior female colleagues.
SRA to require advance notice of law firm M&A deals
Law firms will have to notify the Solicitors Regulation Authority after signing heads of terms on a merger or acquisition, the regulator has proposed.
AML: FCA to use ‘fit and proper’ test for law firm owners
Law firm owners and managers will be subjected to the FCA’s ‘fit and proper’ test once it takes over oversight of their AML activities, the government has decided.
Crown prosecutor struck off for child cruelty conviction
A Crown prosecutor who was jailed for assaulting and ill-treating a child has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
SDT fines solicitor and firm for website transparency failures
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has fined a solicitor and the law firm he owns £4,500 for failing to comply with the SRA’s transparency rules.
PM’s anti-corruption champion backs AML supervision switch
The prime minister’s anti-corruption champion has strongly endorsed the decision to move oversight of lawyers’ anti-money laundering activities to the Financial Conduct Authority.
Solicitor who believed court made error cleared of dishonesty
A veteran solicitor who genuinely believed a court had entered judgment against his client by error has been cleared of multiple allegations made against him at a tribunal.
Conduct commissioner offers barristers route to raise bullying concerns
Barristers under a duty to report bullying, harassment or sexual harassment by others to the BSB can now satisfy it by reporting to the Bar Council’s new Commissioner for Conduct.
Seven-year restriction for solicitor in third SDT appearance
A probate solicitor who blamed multiple breaches on the “emotional entanglement” he felt when handling his brother’s estate has been fined and given a seven-year restriction order.
Blog
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.
Recruitment, retention and reward in the legal accounts world
Understanding the legal finance market is important – not just for those actively involved in it day-to-day but also for leaders within law firms.
From ‘year zero’ to £6.5m – how a law firm found its second life
In 2018, I hit what I call ‘year zero’. On paper, Olliers Solicitors was a top-tier criminal defence firm but beneath the surface, I could see we were at a crossroads.
