Regulation
Solicitor struck off for misleading insurer, court and regulator
A solicitor who lied to potential insurers, on an application for judicial review and then his regulator – in a bid to evade disciplinary action – has finally been struck off.
MPs urge legal regulators to take action over NDA misuse
There has been some improvement in how lawyers approach the use of non-disclosure agreements, but regulators must take “rigorous enforcement action” over poor conduct, MPs said today.
Solicitor jailed for forging wills to cover up client money theft
A former solicitor has been jailed for four years and two months after admitting to plundering a dead client’s estate and then forging other clients’ wills to pay off the first client’s beneficiaries.
Partners cleared of conflict over criminal and civil road death cases
The two partners at the same firm who acted for a man convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and the estate of the victim suing him have been cleared of acting in a conflict of interest.
Lawyers “confused by boundaries in wake of #MeToo”
Lawyers and regulators are uncertain where the boundaries lie on misconduct in the wake of the #MeToo revelations, experts have warned. Patricia Robertson QC of Fountain Court Chambers, a former vice-chair of the Bar Standards Board, said lawyers faced further… Read More
Swathe of law firms face action after failing transparency test
Dozens of law firms are at risk of enforcement action from the SRA after a check found that only 25% of websites were fully compliant with the new rules on price and service transparency.
Mayson spells out hard choices in reforming legal regulation
The head of the independent review of legal services regulation said yesterday that scrapping regulation based on titles like solicitor or barrister and replacing it with a system based on legal activities “might not be as straightforward as some believe”.… Read More
Trainee who forged client’s signature banned from profession
A trainee solicitor who forged a client’s signature in a bid to pass off a copy share certificate as the original has been banned from working in the profession without the permission of the SRA.
Solicitor “brass-plated” the practices of others
A solicitor who “brass-plated” the practices of other solicitors and did little to supervise them has been struck off, after one misappropriated £140,000 of client money. He also paid unlawful referral fees.
Controversial client protection rules for freelance solicitors approved
The Legal Services Board has approved client protection arrangements to back the new breed of freelance solicitors, despite opposition from the Law Society and Legal Services Consumer Panel.
Blog
Why later-life divorce requires a distinct professional framework
Later-life divorce, often described as ‘silver splitter’ or ‘grey divorce’ cases, is no longer a marginal feature of family law practice. It challenges long-standing assumptions about how divorce work is done.
Listening, learning and leading The Solicitor’s Charity with care
As I prepare to hand over the mantle of chair of The Solicitor’s Charity next month, it doesn’t feel like an end. Instead, it feels like a wonderful journey.
Is competition in the legal sector stifling innovation?
As the legal sector’s competitive landscape continues to evolve, Nobel laureates remind us that innovation is not inevitable,and that competition may not always be an incentive to innovate.
