Solicitors

The chair of the Solicitors Regulation Authority has set out plans for its board to work in an open and “accountable” way – but its board meetings remain closed to outside scrutiny.

A solicitor at the centre of a row after asking a question on Tuesday’s BBC debate between the prospective leaders of the Conservative Party has tried to defuse the situation following his suspension.

The High Court has put a permanent stop to years of vexatious litigation pursued by a struck-off solicitor against the Law Society, Bar Council, senior judges and many others.

A criminal law solicitor who admitted telling secretaries to fabricate and backdate letters, attendance notes and other documents to regularise his files has been suspended for nine months.

A solicitor who held on to money meant for counsel, experts and others for several years so as to aid his firm’s cash flow has been struck off. He only paid those who chased him for payment.

Nearly half of solicitors’ firms that are part of the regulator’s relationship management regime have been referred to the disciplinary process for anti-money laundering failures, it has been disclosed.

Employees should be given a “cooling-off period” before signing non-disclosure agreements, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has suggested.

The Law Society has performed a rapid u-turn and agreed to review its controversial practice note on non-disclosure agreements, it confirmed today.

The Law Society has indicated that it has no plans to review its controversial practice note on non-disclosure agreements, despite the urging of MPs. But it may have over-egged the SRA’s support for the note.

Individuals share responsibility with their firms and the regulator for mental health issues affecting misconduct, a specialist solicitor has argued, but said the SRA is inconsistent in its approach.