Regulation
Solicitor fails in bid to set aside £700k HMRC statutory demand
A solicitor has failed in his effort to set aside a £717,000 statutory demand arising from a guarantee he gave over money his firm owed HM Revenue & Customs.
Solicitor struck off after trying to influence medical expert
A personal injury solicitor who “improperly attempted” to influence a doctor by turning up to a medical examination of his client in the role of translator has been struck off.
SRA slices £6m off budget while missing performance targets
The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s budget is to fall 7% – or £6m – in the next year, against the background of failing to meet two of its three performance targets.
SRA reveals cost of Leigh Day case and ministers’ intense interest
The Solicitors Regulation Authority revealed today that its investigation into Leigh Day cost £3.1m and also published correspondence that showed the close interest ministers took in the case.
Solicitor who owed barristers £146,000 in fees is struck off
A solicitor who admitted that he owed barristers over £146,000 in fees, and even took money from the estate of his dead mother, has been struck off.
Law firms “will stop using email within five years”
Email will be replaced within five years by a more secure means of communication for law firms, an expert predicted this week. Meanwhile, the SRA is using behavioural science in its messaging.
Solicitor’s conviction for neglecting mother quashed
The Court of Appeal has quashed a jail sentence of two and a half years imposed on a solicitor, who specialised in care for the elderly, for neglecting her mother.
Multiplicity of legal regulators “not helping AML fight”
The “multiplicity” of legal and accountancy regulators in the UK is not helping the fight against money laundering, the Financial Action Task Force has complained.
SRA: Law firms must be able to explain decisions made by AI
Law firms must be able to explain “automated decisions”, including those involving artificial intelligence (AI), the Solicitors Regulation Authority has warned.
SQE does “violence to law” as academic discipline
The introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination does “significant violence to law as an academic discipline and to our colleagues and students”, law lecturers have argued.
Blog
Our vision for 2026: A shared approach to AML
We want to see law firms start taking AML compliance as seriously as it deserves. This means treating it not as a tick-box exercise or a procedural necessity, but as a serious part of company culture.
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.
