Regulation
SRA warns against ‘mutual recognition’ in Brexit trade deals
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has urged the government not to agree to the mutual recognition of other countries’ legal qualifications in post-Brexit trade deals.
Lawyers in firing line of Home Office’s serious crime strategy
Lawyers are both “key facilitators” of serious and organised crime, and an “important part” of the response to it, the government said yesterday.
Solicitor jailed for 21 years over sex offences struck off
A solicitor has been struck off after being jailed for 21 years for sexual offences, in which he used his professional status to hide his actions.
Solicitor “lived in property bought by estate she was administering”
A solicitor who bought an investment property with money from an estate and then lived in it, and also billed 68 hours for one day’s work, has been struck off.
Barristers becoming as vulnerable to cyber-attacks as solicitors
Increased use of technology at the Bar and in the court system has left barristers as vulnerable to cyber-attacks as solicitors, the Bar Standards Board has warned.
SDT “should have adjourned” hearing involving bipolar man
The SDT should have adjourned a hearing at which it banned a law firm marketing chief from the profession for accepting kick-backs from referral fees, the High Court has ruled.
Solicitor paid B&B and caravan park income into client account
A solicitor who paid over £100,000 in income from her bed and breakfast and caravan park businesses into her firm’s client account has been fined £15,000.
Quality of unregulated advice to LiPs tested in study
The contention that the growing legion of litigants-in-person in the family courts rely on suspect free legal advice from unregulated sources is to be tested.
Lawyer abandons career at Bar to set up CILEx entity
A barrister who spent six years fruitlessly trying to obtain a pupillage has instead become an immigration practitioner as the head of her own firm, overseen by CILEx Regulation.
Insurers’ claims management work “putting solicitors at risk”
Insurers are putting solicitors in potential breach of their code of conduct by passing on work obtained through cold-calling third parties involved in car accidents, it has been claimed.
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”.
