Regulation
Solicitor “raided rent deposit” after client switched firms
A solicitor has been fined £1,300 by the SRA for taking his fees from a rent deposit after the client switched firms, one of several sanctions handed out by the regulator.
Bogus lawyer jailed for “worse than useless” advice
A man who falsely claimed he fronted a legal business has been sent to prison for charging £12,000 for advice a judge described as “worse than useless”.
Solicitor suspended for sending offensive tweets
A senior solicitor who sent offensive tweets about Islam, Catholicism and Judaism – and also retweeted some – has been suspended from practice for 18 months.
Conveyancing giant “to play big role” in parent PLC’s recovery
One of the ‘big five’ conveyancing law firms is aiming for more market share and remortgage work as part of efforts to steady its struggling parent company.
Barco shuts as commercial escrow providers emerge
Barco, the Bar Council’s third-party escrow service used by barristers and solicitors, has shut down after “suitable” commercial providers entered the market.
LSB: SMEs attracted by firms with price transparency
When small businesses believe they can trust the transparency of legal providers on fees, they are twice as likely to seek the advice of lawyers, according to the Legal Services Board.
Alcoholic solicitor struck off for stealing fees from clients
A solicitor with alcohol problems who took thousands of pounds in cash payments from clients and dishonestly failed to declare them to his firm has been struck off.
Jail for solicitor duped by “millionaire” conman
A lawyer who lost her firm, career and home after she stole client money to fund a penniless conman who falsely claimed to be a multi-millionaire has been jailed.
Solicitor who made fake legal aid claims is struck off
A solicitor who made thousands of pounds worth of fraudulent legal aid claims has been struck off. He created fake attendance notes for hearings that never took place.
SRA seeks to clarify threshold for reporting misconduct
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is looking to clarify the threshold used by law firms when deciding whether to report concerns over misconduct.
Blog
Don’t be fooled by the civil court statistics
The latest civil justice figures look deceptively upbeat, with faster claims. But these numbers mask a deeper truth: people are still waiting more than a year for justice.
SEO is changing: Are you measuring the right things?
AI means firms may see falling organic traffic and wonder if SEO is still working. The more interesting question is whether traffic is still the right measure of success.
Forms are evolving – and more interesting than you might think
I have spent much of my working life thinking about something most people would probably prefer not to think about at all: legal forms.
Reports
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