Regulation

A solicitor accused of misconduct in his advice on three stamp duty land tax avoidance schemes has been completely exonerated by a disciplinary tribunal.

An employment tribunal has expressed its “incredulity” at the way a solicitor’s former secretary befriended one of his clients and ended up in the client’s will.

The breach of trust by a solicitor jailed for stealing nearly £100,000 from clients who were his friends has been described as “monumental” by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

SBA, the charity for solicitors, is launching a £1m hardship fund to aid those in financial difficulty following the outbreak of Covid-19. Meanwhile, its barrister equivalent has appealed for donations.

It comes as its barrister equivalent, the Barristers Benevolent Association (BBA), has launched an appeal for funds to support members of the Bar.

The rate of change in the legal market makes it “increasingly difficult” for the regulatory framework laid down by the Legal Services Act to remain relevant, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has warned.

A solicitor who became an alcoholic after taking part in the drinking culture of a former firm has been fined by a tribunal after two drink-driving convictions.

One in seven female solicitors have experienced bullying, discrimination and harassment in the workplace over the past year, while there is also a large gender pay gap, Law Society research has revealed.

A sole practitioner who let his law firm “dissolve into a complete mess” – with his removal from lenders’ panels the major factor behind his financial problems – has been fined £7,500.

An unregistered barrister and solicitor who took 15 months to pay a £500 fine levied by the Bar Standards Board has been reprimanded – and ordered to pay another £500.

The Bar Council has been urged to call in its share of the surplus held by QC Appointments to support barristers struggling during the coronavirus pandemic, as the Inns of Court looks at measures too.