Regulation
SRA creates expert panel to advise on policy
An economist, a senior in-house lawyer and the head of one of the Big Four’s alternative business structures have been named on a panel created to advise the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Drunken barrister reprimanded for threatening colleague
A drunken barrister who threatened a fellow member of chambers in a bid to have them accede to a tenancy application has been reprimanded by a Bar disciplinary tribunal.
Solicitor rebuked for failing to supervise “lying” consultant
The head of a law firm who said she was lied to by a consultant solicitor, who paid £2.25m of property sale proceeds to a third party as part of a pattern of flagrant misconduct, has accepted a rebuke.
Solicitors Indemnity Fund to stay open for extra year
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has agreed to extend by a year the use of the Solicitors Indemnity Fund to covers claims made after firms’ run-off cover expires.
Chambers offers workspace for freelance solicitors
A set of chambers in Birmingham, post Covid-19, is using unused floors in its offices to create a supported workspace for freelance solicitors, Legal Futures can reveal.
Quality of legal advice for suspects “faltering under lockdown”
The quality of legal help for suspects in police custody has “suffered significantly” due to Covid-19 amid concerns over confidentiality and restrictions on lawyers talking to clients, a new report has found.
Online invigilators will be watching Bar students’ every move
Online invigilators for the Bar exams taking place in August have been trained to differentiate between candidates looking around naturally and trying to read hidden notes, students have been warned.
Solicitor banned from management over accounts failure
A solicitor was kept in the dark by an experienced bookkeeper about improper transfers she was making from client to office account to keep the firm afloat, a tribunal has heard.
Solicitor “didn’t know what to do” with money from third party
A solicitor whose firm received over £530,000 into its client account from an unknown third party, “sat on it” because “we just didn’t know” what to do, a tribunal has heard.
Apprenticeships “not working for the disadvantaged”
Workers from disadvantaged backgrounds are being left behind by the apprenticeship system, including in the law, with numbers slumping by more than a third since the apprenticeship levy was introduced.
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.
