Solicitors

A technology platform which supports survivors of domestic abuse and a chatbot helping people with learning disabilities understand their social care rights, have won the Legal Access Challenge.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to become a distinct legal entity within the Law Society Group, potentially triggering a difficult debate over the division of £73m of reserves.

A disciplinary tribunal has taken the unusual step of rejecting an agreement between the SRA and a solicitor who broke the rules through his involvement with flight delay compensation claims.

A junior solicitor at the SRA’s external advisers lied about losing documents while acting for the regulator in a data protection case. She has been struck off despite questions over her mental health.

An accountant found to have “improperly” issued a report to the Solicitors Regulation Authority about a law firm has been severely reprimanded by his regulator.

A service for couples wanting an amicable separation without instructing separate lawyers has been launched by Withers, which has also worked with Mariella Frostrup on a relationship podcast series.

A barrister jailed in 2014 for a bomb hoax at the London Olympics has failed in his attempt to overturn an order imposed by the SRA that banned him from working for law firms.

Solicitors can give client-care information verbally if a client urgently needs a will due to the coronavirus, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has confirmed.

The coronavirus crisis has hindered the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s efforts to pursue law firms that have ignored its efforts to check they are complying with its anti-money laundering rules.

A solicitor who acted as head of legal and a “puppet director” for a variety of companies involved in sham £16m property schemes has been struck off.