Regulation
Solicitor struck off for property sting on client
A sole practitioner has been struck off for a sting in which a client’s money was used by the solicitor’s business partner to buy a property for a much lower price which was then sold to the client at a profit.
SRA on hunt for ‘strategy and innovation’ director
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is set to appoint a new executive director for strategy and innovation, filling a hole for a policy specialist in the regulator’s senior management team.
Solicitor cleared of trying to mislead Ofsted and tribunal
A solicitor accused of sending a witness statement that was likely to mislead Ofsted and the First-tier Tribunal has been cleared of any wrongdoing. He was found to have acted in good faith.
Freshfields partner fined over night with drunk junior lawyer
A partner at City giant Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer should not have had sex with a drunken junior lawyer after a night out, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal ruled yesterday as it fined him £35,000.
Solicitor jailed for siphoning client money struck off
A solicitor has been struck off after being sentenced to a year in prison for fraudulently siphoning off more than £13,000 from his firm and initially trying to obstruct an investigation of the crime.
“Regal” solicitor underestimated wife’s accounts work
A solicitor who said his role was as his firm’s “figurehead”, like the Queen – and underestimated his wife’s work in running its accounts – has been struck off over improper withdrawals from client accounts.
Barrister convicted of assault suspended for 28 days
A barrister convicted of assault has been suspended for 28 days, just months after he was fined for possessing a Class A drug. His is one of several recent disciplinary cases involving barristers.
City solicitor who lied about passing exam is struck off
A young solicitor who lied to his City employer about passing an insolvency exam – saying it had a “toxic and uncaring environment” – has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Brexit “will boost work for notaries”
Demand for notarial services is increasing and Brexit could give it a further boost, the new president of the Notaries Society has said. The challenge was how to recruit enough new notaries to meet demand.
Financial services chief to head BSB
The chief executive of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme is to take over as director-general of the Bar Standards Board as we round up several pieces of news from the regulator.
Blog
Why menopause support belongs on every law firm’s agenda
Progression in the law slows significantly as women approach senior leadership. Most will be at the height of their careers around the average age menopause symptoms begin.
Law firms need to go beyond document checks
At the root of every failed compliance review is a familiar phrase: a calm assertion of “but we did a document check”.
How you respond to mistakes matters more than the mistakes themselves
Mistakes in legal practice are inevitable. What truly differentiates well-run firms from those that stumble is not whether mistakes occur, but how they are handled when they do.
