Regulation
Solicitor rebuked for issuing cheque that bounced
A solicitor has been sanctioned for sending a client a cheque for his damages which bounced – one of four regulatory settlement agreements reached by the SRA with solicitors and a firm.
Solicitor who felt “intimidated” by clients struck off
A partner who said she felt “threatened and intimidated” by clients who would not accept her advice to discontinue has been struck off for lying about the progress of their cases.
Partner “too embarrassed” to tell clients truth is struck off
A partner who misled beneficiaries about the progress of a case to resolve a dispute over estate assets and then found himself “too embarrassed” to tell them the truth has been struck off.
STaRs and SQE “will drastically increase supply of lawyers”
The combination of the new Standards and Regulations and the Solicitors Qualifying Exam “will drastically increase the supply of lawyers”, the European head of Rocket Lawyer has predicted.
Barristers still struggling with concept of CPD “reflection”
Barristers are generally happy with their new continuing professional development regime but are struggling to understand the concept of ‘reflection’, independent research has found.
Solicitor took 15 years to finish distributing estate
A veteran solicitor who failed to complete several probate matters promptly – with one taking 15 years – has been fined by a tribunal. He said it had been a case of “out of sight out of mind”.
Sets without equal numbers of women “will lose work”
Market forces will mean that commercial sets without a diverse gender pool at all levels will soon find themselves losing work to more gender-equal sets, according to a circuit judge researching equality.
Former partner ordered to pay costs of SRA closing firm
The High Court has ordered a former partner to shoulder the £182,000 costs of the Solicitors Regulation Authority shutting down his law firm in the first case of its kind.
US firm employee sanctioned for ‘drunk on plane’ conviction
An employee in the London office of US law firm WilmerHale whose drunken actions on a transatlantic plane caused it to turn back has been rebuked and fined by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Tribunal rejects SRA’s disciplinary “ambush”
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has rejected four allegations of multiple rule breaches against a solicitor because they were so badly drafted by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Blog
Strong AML controls are meaningless with incomplete data
One expectation as the FCA takes control of anti-money laundering oversight is a move towards more supervision rather than simply writing new rules.
Navigating the legal AI productivity-profitability paradox
Firms are achieving efficiencies through AI, especially in the practice of law. Yet many are struggling to see that reflected in their financial outcomes
Regulation, growth and access to justice: why legal services need a reset
Well-intentioned consumer protections embedded in the regulation of legal services increasingly act as barriers to innovation, competition and access to justice.
