Regulation
Philip: Law Society’s £35m share of PC fee should be repaid to solicitors
The Law Society’s share of the Practising Certificate fee should be repaid to solicitors if the Solicitors Regulation Authority becomes fully independent, the regulator’s chief executive has said. Paul Philip said the society’s share was around £35m or £250 for each solicitor.
LSB to encourage comparison websites to enter the law and challenge regulators over practising fees
The Legal Services Board is set to make encouraging comparison sites to enter the legal market one of its goals for the next year, along with telling regulators to be clearer about how they spend the profession’s money.
Claimant and defendant groups clash over Insurance Fraud Taskforce report – but the SRA is happy
Claimant and defendant personal injury interests have clashed over this week’s report of the government-commissioned Insurance Fraud Taskforce – while the Solicitors Regulation Authority has welcomed the call for its fining powers to be increased and the burden of proof before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal lowered.
Major insurance fraud report: Increase SRA fining powers, lower tribunal burden of proof
The government should consider strengthening the fining powers of the Solicitors Regulation Authority and lowering the burden of proof in cases that reach the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal as part of the reforms needed to combat insurance fraud, a major report has recommended.
Reviewer warns of risk that public will see SRA as biased in favour of solicitors
There is a “real risk” that members of the public will view the Solicitors Regulation Authority as “simply preferring the word of solicitors”, its independent review body has concluded. The Independent Complaint Resolution Service called for a review of compensation claim fund claims.
SDT anonymity ruling “breached principle of open justice”, High Court rules
A decision by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal to grant retrospective anonymity to a solicitor who had only been found guilty of a technical rule breach flouted the principle of open justice, the High Court has ruled. The tribunal made a decision that was “wrong in principle and not one which it could rationally make”.
Almost half of asylum seekers unhappy with their lawyers, report finds
Almost half of asylum seekers are not satisfied with the service provided by their lawyers, a report for the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Legal Ombudsman has found. It exposed how some firms paid interpreters to recruit asylum seeker clients at ports and detention centres.
City lawyers “privately regulated by clients”
A “tranche” of top commercial lawyers “has effectively become privately regulated by the clients they seek to serve”, a leading academic has said. Dr Steven Vaughan said some were “happy to be captured” by clients.
City solicitor accepts fine from SRA over assault conviction
A City law firm partner has been fined by the Solicitors Regulation Authority after an assault conviction for a “domestic incident”. He was sentenced to a 12-month community order, but retains the support of his firm.
Competiton and Markets Authority to investigate legal services
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced a study of the legal services sector for consumers and small businesses so as to examine “long-standing concerns” about affordability and standards of service. The CMA said concerns had also been raised about the “complexity of the current regulatory framework”.
Blog
Mazur: when regulators make simple things complicated
What the last six months have shown is that supervision cannot be treated as a background compliance obligation quietly managed somewhere in a firm’s operational processes.
How unstoppable AI is reshaping UK legal practice
At a time when most technology innovation still flows from the US and China, UK lawtech is attracting growing international attention and capital.
Modern vehicles: new injury profiles and new legal challenges
As the number of electric vehicles on UK roads continues to grow year-on-year, it is important to address the risks that come with their increased adoption.
