Other lawyers

Legal regulators have reacted coolly to the recommendation of Professor Stephen Mayson that they be replaced by a single organisation, arguing instead the case for specialism.

A law firm shut down by its regulator last year has been ordered to pay former staff £375,000 for multiple employment law breaches.

The Bar Council and Bar Standards Board have announced a series of measures – including furloughing – to make savings of more than £200,000 to support the profession during the Covid-19 crisis.

Seven of the eight frontline regulators have “confirmed their continued commitment” to the Legal Choices website, despite the Solicitors Regulation Authority no longer wanting to run it.

The Legal Services Board is launching a formal review of the Bar Standards Board’s leadership and decision-making in the wake of its controversial decision to stop funding the Legal Choices website.

The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has become the first regulator to offer financial help during the coronavirus crisis, allowing the firms it regulates to defer the regulatory fees they pay.

Legal professionals involved in court and tribunal hearings, as well as those advising people deprived of their liberty or on executing wills are ‘keyworkers’, the Ministry of Justice has said.

There has been a “strong improvement” among the legal regulators in their approach to anti-money laundering, their oversight body has reported.

The Competition and Markets Authority has expressed concern that conveyancers’ advice to leasehold clients may be compromised by their relationships with developers.

The Legal Services Board is ramping up pressure on the Law Society, the Bar Council and other approved regulators over ensuring the independence of their regulatory arms.