Solicitors

Three partners at a former legal aid firm have been fined a total of £40,000 for failing to pay disbursements as they struggled to keep the practice afloat.

The SRA needs to activate a dormant power that allows it to introduce ‘fitness to practise’ rules, in the wake of yesterday’s ruling about the role of mental health in solicitors’ misconduct.

A solicitor jailed for falsifying documents to bring a civil claim against a former employee, in actions a judge said attacked “the very heart of the justice system”, has been struck off.

Pressure of work or extreme working conditions “cannot either alone or in conjunction with stress or depression” justify not striking off dishonest solicitors, the High Court has ruled.

The body that oversees the legal profession’s anti-money laundering efforts has expressed concern over both the Law Society and Solicitors Regulation Authority offering solicitors helpline advice.

The chairman of the Bar Council has sent a strong message to solicitors about the need to challenge clients who discriminate against barristers because of gender, race or other bias.

The idea that the Solicitors Qualifying Examination will improve diversity is false and instead it will have “devastating effects” on many individuals, two academics have claimed.

The only female Afghan-born practising barrister revealed yesterday that she had been asked by a solicitor to return her brief because the client wanted “a white male barrister”.

The Solicitors Qualifying Examination – the new way that solicitors will qualify – will be launched in autumn 2021, with the candidate fee likely to range between £3,000 and £4,500.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority will not appeal the dismissal of its prosecution of Leigh Day, its chief executive confirmed yesterday as he described the loss as “just one of those things”.