Regulation
“Testosterone overdose” deterring women from profession
Support for diversity initiatives has come from the upper levels of the barristers’ profession, with a top QC warning of a “teststerone overdose” in the wake of criticism of how some men behave.
From law student to partner in less than 12 months
A trainee chartered legal executive has spoken about how she is due to become a partner in a law firm less than 12 months after finishing her law degree.
New SRA chair to dial down calls for total independence
The new chair of the Solicitors Regulation Authority is set to dial down its strident calls for complete structural independence from the Law Society. Anna Bradley was speaking six weeks into the job.
Solicitors gear up for leasehold negligence claims
National firm Simpson Millar has set up a team within its professional negligence department to handle potential actions against solicitors who failed to warn leasehold clients of damaging clauses.
Client paid off debts of solicitor he saw as “surrogate daughter”
A solicitor has been fined £25,000 after receiving payments to help clear her debts from a client who viewed her as a “surrogate daughter”. She had “very foolishly” given the client her financial details.
Solicitor “tried to get assault complainant to withdraw statement”
A solicitor who tried to persuade the alleged victim of a sexual assault to withdraw her statement – and was convicted of attempting to pervert the course of justice as a result – has been struck off.
Regulators “need to sustain” social welfare law training
The government, legal regulators and others need to come together to ensure that the next generation of lawyers have the chance to study social welfare law or face even more ‘advice deserts’.
Solicitor struck off for misconduct prior to qualification
A solicitor has been struck off for taking money from a friend while he was a trainee and then suing her for more. It was accepted that the SRA principles applied to his conduct before he qualified.
SDT: Solicitor “terrified” by Court of Appeal was incompetent
A criminal law solicitor who described himself as “absolutely terrified” by a Court of Appeal appearance was incompetent but not dishonest, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has concluded.
Solicitor paid himself over £800k from litigation funding schemes
A solicitor who paid himself £817,000 out of litigation funding schemes set up to back his law firm has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Blog
The SRA needs to admit it got it wrong about SLAPPs
The High Court judgment in Ashley Hurst v SRA in January raises serious questions about the regulator’s approach to allegations of SLAPP-like behaviour.
Why menopause support belongs on every law firm’s agenda
Progression in the law slows significantly as women approach senior leadership. Most will be at the height of their careers around the average age menopause symptoms begin.
Law firms need to go beyond document checks
At the root of every failed compliance review is a familiar phrase: a calm assertion of “but we did a document check”.
