Regulation
Non-compliant barrister given another three-year practising ban
A barrister already prevented from practising for three years after withdrawing from a case without telling his client will now have to wait three more years after another finding against him.
‘Professionally embarrassed’ lawyers wrong to withdraw during murder trial
The legal team of a man accused of murder was wrong to withdraw during the trial but the move did not render his subsequent conviction unsafe, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
Solicitor allowed use of client account as £4.6m banking facility
A solicitor who let his firm’s client account be used as a banking facility for payments from clients’ investors totalling over £4.6m has been fined £15,000.
Male barrister fined for smacking female colleague on backside
A male barrister who told a junior female colleague that “I really wanted to smack your arse” – and then did so – has been reprimanded and fined £6,000 by a Bar disciplinary tribunal.
Another SRA prosecution fails but regulator avoids costs order
The Solicitors Regulation Authority was justified in prosecuting two law firm partners even though all of the allegations were dismissed, a tribunal has ruled.
Email attachments are not privileged just because message is
The Supreme Court has refused to interfere in a ruling that legal professional privilege which covers an email does not extend to any attachments.
Solicitor who misled tribunals on Ugandan law is struck off
A solicitor who misled the First-tier and Upper Tribunals in immigration cases about anti-gay legislation in Uganda has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
“Troubling inequality” persists for BAME consumers of legal services
A “troubling inequality” between BAME and White British consumers in the way they access legal services has changed little in the five years since it raised the issue, the consumer panel has found.
Veteran solicitor practised without insurance
A sole practitioner in his 70s has been struck off after practising for over six months without professional indemnity insurance, despite telling others he had cover.
High Court highlights “implausibility” of multi-hand fraud at City law firm
A court has highlighted the “implausibility” of multiple people from “a well-known firm of solicitors being involved in a fraudulent scheme” in dismissing a claim against Simmons & Simmons.
Blog
The cost of systemic failure and childbirth injuries
Recent reports show that the NHS has paid almost £3.5bn in medical claims around childbirth injuries over the past six years.
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.
