Regulation
Bogus lawyer who stole £68,000 from clients jailed
A woman who falsely claimed to be a qualified immigration lawyer, and did not deliver on what clients paid her £68,000 for, has been jailed for five years.
CA upholds role of privilege in company investigations
The Court of Appeal has overturned a ruling seen as driving a coach and horses through the protection provided to corporate clients by legal professional privilege.
SRA warns on fraudster infiltrators as small firms lose £7m
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has warned law firms to be on the alert for fraudster infiltrators after incidents at two small practices led to potential losses of over £7m.
CLC price and service transparency rules approved
Licensed conveyancers will be required to publish price and service information on their websites from December after the Legal Services Board approved their regulator’s new rules.
Criminal lawyer who lied in witness statement is struck off
An experienced criminal law solicitor who broke the conditions on his practising certificate and then lied about it in a witness statement, has been struck off.
Partner broke rules to portray PI department “in best light”
A partner who misled personal injury clients and his firm to show the department “in the best possible financial light” has been fined by the SDT.
Immigration lawyer “wrongly claimed” £800,000 in legal aid
An immigration lawyer who “wrongly claimed” £800,000 from the Legal Aid Agency has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Rebukes for solicitors convicted of harassment and assault
Solicitors convicted of harassment and assault are among those to have received rebukes of late from the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Robing room is not a “no-go area” for barristers’ regulator
Robing rooms may be a private sanctuary for barristers but they cannot be viewed as a “no-go area” for their regulator, the High Court has ruled.
Unregulated eviction service “crossed line” into litigation
An unregulated eviction service called Remove a Tenant “crossed the line” between assisting claimants and conducting litigation, a judge has ruled.
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”.
