Regulation
BSB chief aims to arrange exam resits as soon as possible
The Bar Standards Board is looking to arrange another round of exams well before December, its director-general has told Legal Futures, as complaints about the online system mount.
Solicitor wrote cheque to himself from client account
A solicitor who was cautioned by the police for fraud after writing a cheque for £2,000 from client account to himself has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Solicitors caught in dubious schemes “fail in due diligence”
Solicitors generally fail to carry out due diligence exercises on the people behind what turn out to be dubious investment schemes, a review by the Solicitors Regulation Authority has found.
Solicitor under-declared sale prices to pocket stamp duty
A solicitor who falsified returns to HM Revenue & Customs so as to underpay stamp duty land tax and pocket the difference in a bid to keep his firm afloat has been struck off.
City solicitor suspended after second police cocaine caution
A City solicitor who received a second police caution for possessing cocaine – but failed to report it out of fear of losing his job and marriage – has been banned from practice for a year.
Technical problems hit 11% of BPTC students
Some 11% of Bar professional training course students taking their first exam online this week have experienced technical problems, the Bar Standards Board said today.
Chambers blames government approach to justice system for decision to close
The impact of Covid-19 on the justice system and the government’s response has led a mid-sized London set to announce its closure, saying members are not prepared to take the financial risk they are facing.
Muslim Bar student “forced to defer exam” over headscarf removal demand
A Muslim Bar student felt forced to defer her exams because the BSB said she had to remove her headscarf for ID purposes but could not guarantee that it would be a woman who would watch.
LSB demands greater transparency on practising fees
Legal regulators will have to explain more clearly how they spend their practising certificate fees under revised rules proposed by the Legal Services Board.
67% of solicitors tell Law Society PC fee is not value for money
Two-thirds of solicitors do not consider the practising certificate fee value for money, with many expressing concern at the level being charged given the impact of Covid-19.
Blog
Mentoring the next generation of litigation leaders
As a female lawyer, from the North, with a state school education, I understand the value of sharing perspectives, experiences and contacts.
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.
