Regulation
Criminal defence barrister jailed for tax fraud
A criminal defence barrister who specialised in fraud work has been jailed for 18 months for tax fraud. He failed to submit 26 VAT returns or any self-assessment returns since 1999.
Solicitor used £500,000 from client account to fund gambling addiction
A solicitor who used £500,000 of money in his firm’s client account to feed his gambling addiction – although he paid most of it back in winnings – has been struck off.
“Significant increase” in barristers reporting bullying, harassment and discrimination
A third of women barristers, those from a black, Asian or ethnic minority background and disabled barristers have experienced harassment, bullying or discrimination in recent years.
Solicitor unable to cope struck off for backdating letters “to buy time”
A young personal injury solicitor who dishonestly backdated 23 documents over a nine-month period to conceal inactivity as she supposedly struggled to keep on top of her workload, has been struck off.
Ban for law firm event executive who kept raffle prizes for herself
An events executive at a well-known London law firm who kept raffle prizes for herself has been banned from working in the profession.
“We need to bring judicial bullying into the open,” says Bar Council chair
There needs to be a culture of awareness and openness about bullying by judges, the chairman of the Bar Council has said.
SRA’s insurance reforms “piling too much risk on consumers”
The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s plans to reform professional indemnity insurance and the compensation fund put too much risk on consumers without any commensurate benefit, a watchdog has warned.
Claims management company loses appeal against £533,000 fine
A leading claims management company fined £533,000 for multiple rule breaches – including its sales agents calling banks pretending to be customers – has lost an appeal against the sanction. The tribunal heard the call of an employee telling his grandmother that the CMC had changed its working practices for a regulatory audit.
Law firms will have to publish certain prices, but not complaints data, SRA decides
Law firms will have to publish their prices for a range of consumer and business services, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has decided, but they will not have to put their complaints records in the public domain. It comes alongside research showing consumers particularly wanted information on price and quality before choosing a lawyer.
SRA completes Handbook rewrite by tempering plan to allow solicitors to set up shop on qualification
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has tempered its proposal to allow solicitors to set up their own law firms as soon as they qualify, as it unveiled the final wave of changes to its Handbook. This completes the two-year process of rewriting the handbook, which is set to be around 130 pages in total, more than 300 pages less than now.
Blog
Amplifying reach through employee-driven thought leadership
Nine in 10 executives believe thought leadership is critical to building authority, yet only a quarter feel they have implemented a robust strategy.
Divorce escrow: asset sales before final settlement
When significant matrimonial assets are sold before a final financial order is agreed, holding the proceeds safely and neutrally can present real practical challenges.
AML lacks clarity – and standards are suffering
If firms are buckling under the pressure of AML regulations, subject to ever-increasing fines, then something is clearly not working as it should be.
