Question of ethics
In-house lawyers’ ethics: “Bright spots amid the gloom”
The largest study of the ethics of in-house lawyers ever undertaken has shown a “gloomy picture” of lawyers wedded first to the commercial objectives of the companies they work for.
City lawyers “privately regulated by clients”
A “tranche” of top commercial lawyers “has effectively become privately regulated by the clients they seek to serve”, a leading academic has said. Dr Steven Vaughan said some were “happy to be captured” by clients.
Court of Appeal: judges working as barristers do not have to disclose “every ongoing piece of litigation”
Appeal judges have ruled that part-time judges who are working as barristers do not have to reveal details of “every ongoing piece of litigation” they are dealing with to ward off accusations of bias.
QASA heads for launch after LSB gives final green light
There is “sufficient consistency of evidence and concern” about the standard of criminal advocacy to warrant the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA), the Legal Services Board concluded today.
SRA needs to hold "overzealous lawyers" to account for advice that enables client wrongdoing
Transactional lawyers should be held accountable if their advice is used by clients for unlawful acts and strict conduct rules are necessary to police this rather than an outcomes-focused principle, law academics have argued.
CA overturns ban on in-house lawyer acting in case against former employer
The Court of Appeal has overturned an injunction that prevented an in-house lawyer from advising on litigation against her former employer. But it acknowledged that the case raised difficult issues around lawyers moving jobs with confidential information.
Should I tell my client she’s dying?
The latest Question of Ethics from the Solicitors Regulation Authority looks at whether a solicitor should pass on information in a medical report that their client’s cancer is terminal when the doctor says it should not be disclosed.
Coping with lender demands for bank statements
Question of Ethics from the Solicitors Regulation Authority is back. This weekly column of dilemmas answered by the professional ethics team at the SRA looks at the very topical issue of a lender asking solicitors for details of client back account statements as part of a panel review.
Fire in the hole
This week’s Question of Ethics from the Solicitors Regulation Authority looks at what you should do if your document storage facility has been badly damaged by fire.
Interesting times
This week’s Question of Ethics from the Solicitors Regulation Authority looks at the obligation on solicitors to obtain the best rate of interest held in a separate designated client account.
Blog
The hidden risks in client account reconciliations
The client account reconciliation process will be second nature to most people in legal finance – and so is also a potential area for a problem to be undetected until it becomes serious.
Mentoring the next generation of litigation leaders
As a female lawyer, from the North, with a state school education, I understand the value of sharing perspectives, experiences and contacts.
The cost of systemic failure and childbirth injuries
Recent reports show that the NHS has paid almost £3.5bn in medical claims around childbirth injuries over the past six years.
