Regulation
LSB closes Law Society investigation after censure prompts reform
The Legal Services Board has closed its investigation into the Law Society’s governance arrangements – which led to an unprecedented public censure last year – after a series of reforms.
Slimmed-down Bar transparency regime to go live in May
The Bar Standards Board has curbed some of the areas where public access barristers will have to provide price transparency as it named May 2019 as the start-date for the new regime.
Solicitor put “financial gain for family” before clients
A solicitor who let her daughter live rent-free in a probate property amid a string of offences – including allowing a client to make her a beneficiary of their will – has been struck off.
Solicitor grabbed £90,000 of client money to pay tax bill
A solicitor who took £90,000 from client account to pay his personal tax bill and avoid bankruptcy has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Convicted solicitor MP told she faces being struck off
Fiona Onasanya, the Labour MP and solicitor jailed yesterday for three months for perverting the course of justice, has been told she is likely to be struck off.
“Bullied and manipulated” young solicitor struck off
A young solicitor who was “deceived, pressured, bullied and manipulated” has been struck off, despite being the one to blow the whistle on misconduct in her firm.
End of the line for fare-dodging solicitors
Two solicitors have been struck off for dishonestly obtaining rail travel without paying – one a newly qualified and the other who had not practised since soon after he qualified almost 15 years earlier.
CILEx targets total independence for regulator
The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives has become the first approved legal regulator to announce its intention to give its regulatory body complete structural independence.
Duty solicitor drove to police station over drink limit
An experienced duty solicitor who drove to advise at a police station while over the drink-drive limit has been rebuked and fined £2,000 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Firms refunding clients because of “overcharging” lawyer
Two US law firms are refunding clients after a lawyer admitted that he had subtly padded his fees to meet billing targets, according to a disciplinary case that has been launched against him.
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”.
