Regulation
Barristers can act as deputies, Court of Protection rules
Barristers can act as professional property and affairs deputies for people who lack mental capacity, although it is not seen as a legal service, the Court of Protection has ruled.
Tribunal upholds decision to strip CMC of right to operate
A woman who operated an Indian-based call centre to generate personal injury and PPI leads for law firms has lost her bid to overturn the cancellation of her authorisation to provide claims management services.
SRA: Law firm harassment cases behind majority of NDA complaints
More than half of the reports received by the SRA about the use of non-disclosure agreements in discrimination or harassment cases relate to claims made within law firms, it has emerged.
Solicitor fined £8,000 for second drink-driving conviction
A solicitor with a previous conviction for drink-driving has been fined £8,000 after she was caught again, having failed to learn from her first offence, a disciplinary tribunal decided.
PI solicitors who breached referral fee ban tried to blame SRA
Two personal injury lawyers who tried to blame “unhelpful” ethics guidance from the Solicitors Regulation Authority for paying banned referral fees have been fined by a tribunal.
Solicitor convicted of sending woman abusive Facebook messages
A junior solicitor who was convicted after sending a woman he briefly dated a series of abusive Facebook messages has had his sentence reduced but now faces regulatory action too.
CLC set to back third-party managed accounts
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers is proposing to join the Solicitors Regulation Authority in allowing the lawyers it regulates to use third-party managed accounts.
Solicitor convicted over cannabis farm suspended from practice
A solicitor has been suspended from practice after being convicted of allowing a small cannabis farm to grow in her house. A tribunal said maintaining the profession’s reputation required it.
Paralegal jailed for swindling money from clients’ estates
A paralegal who stole £70,000 from people’s estates to splash out on designer clothes and handbags has been jailed for more than three years. She posed as beneficiaries of two wills.
High Court criticises SDT’s “lack of clarity” as it overturns strike-off
A High Court judge has criticised the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for “lack of clarity of thought” as it replaced a strike-off with a two-year suspension.
Blog
Why later-life divorce requires a distinct professional framework
Later-life divorce, often described as ‘silver splitter’ or ‘grey divorce’ cases, is no longer a marginal feature of family law practice. It challenges long-standing assumptions about how divorce work is done.
Listening, learning and leading The Solicitor’s Charity with care
As I prepare to hand over the mantle of chair of The Solicitor’s Charity next month, it doesn’t feel like an end. Instead, it feels like a wonderful journey.
Is competition in the legal sector stifling innovation?
As the legal sector’s competitive landscape continues to evolve, Nobel laureates remind us that innovation is not inevitable,and that competition may not always be an incentive to innovate.
