Regulation
Solicitor apprentices train while boosting advice agency
One of the oldest legal advice centres in the country has been given a boost by taking advantage of the new path to qualifying as a solicitor by employing six apprentices.
“Manifestly incompetent” partner suspended over client cash
A “manifestly incompetent” partner, whose “neglect and carelessness” led to a shortage in her law firm’s client account of £214,000, has been suspended for 18 months.
SRA: transparency rules compliance “improving”
Compliance with the rules on price and service transparency is improving but a stubborn minority are facing disciplinary action, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has said.
Solicitor asked boss to help cover up her misconduct
A solicitor kept money meant for counsel for several months, altered the date of a fee note from his chambers and then pleaded with her boss to hide it from the regulator.
Report calls for disclosure, not ban, of estate agent referral fees
The much-anticipated report from National Trading Standards on estate agents charging referral fees has not recommended banning the practice, calling instead for mandatory disclosure.
LSB hints at forcing regulators to fund Legal Choices
The frontline regulators may be forced to fund the Legal Choices website if it is to reach its potential to become a “flagship consumer resource”, the Legal Services Board has hinted.
Fine for drunk solicitor who assaulted 18-year-old woman
A leading criminal law solicitor convicted of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman while drunk in Newcastle city centre on New Year’s Eve has been fined by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
No sanction for trainee who billed “in anticipation” of doing work
An under-pressure trainee solicitor who billed for work she anticipated doing has not been sanctioned by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, even though she did not eventually do it.
Review of BSB decision-making will not cover exams furore
The Legal Services Board has launched its review of the quality of the Bar Standards Board’s decision-making – but is not going to look at the controversy around last month’s Bar exams.
Solicitor agrees to leave profession over offensive emails and tweets
A solicitor who sent hundreds of offensive emails and tweets to the law firm acting for him in a dispute – and was convicted of a public order offence – has agreed to remove himself from the roll.
Blog
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.
The questions that determine if the SRA’s client money reforms will work
Both reforms respond to real and well-evidenced gaps in the current framework. The SRA’s changes after consultation feedback shows it’s listening. But structural change on paper is only half the job.
The new metrics for success in conveyancing
While technology has made much of the conveyancing process faster, there remains a practical limit to how many matters anyone can manage while still keeping standards intact.
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