Regulation
Court rejects appeal from solicitor struck off for gross overcharging
The High Court has rejected an appeal from a solicitor struck off after charging an estate where he was sole executor over eight times the reasonable remuneration to which he was entitled under the will.
Scottish solicitors to receive Covid cut to cost of practising
The Law Society of Scotland has again reduced the cost of practising in recognition of the impact of Covid-19 on its members – in contrast with its counterpart in England and Wales.
FCA launches crackdown on claims management ‘phoenixing’
The Financial Conduct Authority has launched a crackdown on ‘phoenixing’ involving claims management companies specialising in financial services.
CLC to introduce ‘polluter pays’ to cover cost of Legal Ombudsman
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers is set to become the first regulator to introduce a ‘polluter pays’ element to how it recovers the cost of the Legal Ombudsman from those it regulates.
SRA and BSB change approaches to gender in diversity surveys
Both the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board are this year changing their approach to recording the sex and gender identity of those they regulate, it has emerged.
Non-solicitors sanctioned by SRA for range of misconduct
The SRA has banned a host of non-solicitors from working in the profession for misconduct ranging from taking money and fabricating correspondence to accepting a £20,000 gift from a client.
Barrister reprimanded for talking to lay opponent without their lawyer
A barrister whose actions in speaking to the opposing lay client in the absence of their lawyer led a court to adjourn a hearing has been sanctioned by a disciplinary tribunal.
Solicitor turned “wilful blind eye” to highly suspicious PI claims
A solicitor who turned “a wilful blind eye to the obvious suspicious circumstances” of dozens of virtually identical personal injury claims has been handed a £35,000 fine.
Solicitor who deliberately misled High Court struck off
A former partner at US firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher found by a High Court judge to have deliberately misled the court has now been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
“Reflect on your ethics” says one barrister to another after Twitter exchange
A barrister suing her chambers and Stonewall has told counsel for the LGBT charity to “reflect on her ethics” after the latter engaged with her on Twitter.
Blog
From ‘year zero’ to £6.5m – how a law firm found its second life
In 2018, I hit what I call ‘year zero’. On paper, Olliers Solicitors was a top-tier criminal defence firm but beneath the surface, I could see we were at a crossroads.
Linklaters’ chief growth officer takes the ‘blank sheet’ challenge
In the third and final part of this series, Lucy Murphy, chief growth officer at magic circle firm Linklaters, outlines her vision for the law firm of the future.
The ‘blank sheet’ challenge, part 2 – what would you do differently?
In the second part of this blog series, Shainul Kassam, managing director of small London firm Fortune Law, sets out how she would set up a law firm now.
