Regulation
Solicitors’ group tip-off leads to activist’s conviction
A campaigner who used her email address as a committee member of the Solicitors International Human Rights Group to conduct unlawful immigration law work was convicted this week.
“Disgraceful” solicitor left trainee to face angry clients
A “disgraceful” solicitor disappeared with over £415,000 of client money and apparently went travelling to Malaysia, warning his trainee solicitor that “there are going to be some angry clients”.
Union’s arrested head of legal mulls claim against Met Police
A barrister working as a trade union’s in-house lawyer is considering a claim for false imprisonment against the Metropolitan Police after he was briefly arrested on a picket line.
Solicitor fined for acting in conflict of interest
A solicitor who acted where there was a real conflict of interest and paid out almost £6m from buyer clients before they had obtained any security in the flats they were hoping to buy, has been fined.
Firms “risking financial ruin” over SRA prosecutions
Law firms assume – wrongly – that their professional indemnity insurance covers them if they are investigated or prosecuted by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, research has warned.
£1.2m lost after solicitor duped by bogus fee-earner
A solicitor who was duped into employing a bogus solicitor, who then facilitated a £1.2m conveyancing fraud, has been struck off. The fee-earner stole the identity of a genuine solicitor.
Blacker handed suspended sentence for benefit fraud
Alan Blacker, also known as Lord Harley and one of the most talked-about solicitors of recent years, has today received a suspended prison sentence for benefit fraud.
Email scam solicitor used client money to refurbish offices
A solicitor who used £80,000 of client money to refurbish her offices – and paid out another £165,000 of client money after falling victim to two email scams – has been struck off.
SRA offers reassurance over short deadline for AML changes
The Solicitors Regulation Authority will take into account the short period of time law firms have had to comply if they fall foul of today’s new anti-money laundering rules, it has said.
City firms risk breaking rules with onshore centres
City firms with ‘onshore’ offices in cities such as Belfast and Manchester are breaking professional rules by not making it clear to clients where the work is being done, groundbreaking research has suggested.
Blog
Is your Google Ads budget funding your competitors’ AI visibility?
If your cost-per-click has crept up again this year, you’ve probably assumed the market simply got more expensive. That’s the wrong way to read what’s happening.
Containing the spread of unapproved AI
Nearly 60% of fee-earners admit to using unapproved tools (like free versions of ChatGPT). Yet 68% of firm leaders are confident there is zero risk of unapproved AI being used for client work.
When AI adoption goes wrong, costs add up fast
City AM recently reported that London is fighting to claim the title of ‘global capital of legal AI’. However, it’s crucial we remember that adoption alone does not create value.
