Regulation
Pupil recruitment system “not virtue signalling”, QC says
The first chambers to use a recruitment system which provides ‘contextual’ information to improve diversity is not “virtue signalling”, the head of its pupillage committee has said.
Barrister withdrew from case “without telling client or chambers”
A barrister who failed to tell a client that he was withdrawing from their case before the Court of Appeal has effectively been suspended for three years. He did not tell his chambers either.
Firm told to compensate transgender client for using birth name
A law firm that addressed a transgender woman by her birth name has been ordered to pay compensation by the Legal Ombudsman.
Solicitor agrees to quit roll over pre-retirement error
A solicitor who was trying to close files ahead of his retirement has agreed to remove himself from the roll after he wrote in a false attestation clause for an executors’ oath.
Solicitor rebuked after drink-driving conviction
A partner at national firm TLT has accepted a rebuke from the SRA after he was convicted of drink driving, while a conveyancing clerk jailed for mortgage fraud has been banned from the profession.
SRA and BSB praised for enforcement processes
The Legal Services Board has given both the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board a clean bill of health in the way they enforce their rules.
More unregulated business granted SRA waivers for legal work
Three more unregulated businesses have been given the green light to offer unreserved legal services to the public through practising solicitors, in the new tranche of waivers issued by the regulator.
Solicitors permanently disqualified as charity trustees
Two solicitors fined by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal last summer have now been permanently disqualified as trustees by the Charity Commission in an unrelated matter.
Jailed paedophile barrister disbarred
A barrister jailed for 20 years after pleading guilty to 37 charges relating to child sexual abuse has been disbarred. John Guess, called in 2000, had been a lawyer for the Welsh government.
SRA finally names the day when new rulebook comes into force
The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s new rulebook will come into force some six months later than originally expected. Meanwhile, it has unveiled a new push to check firms’ anti-money laundering compliance.
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.
