Solicitors
Disciplined solicitor blames failings on legal aid cuts
A criminal sole practitioner has been fined for offences which he blamed on having dispensed with his accounts manager after the firm suffered from legal aid cuts.
Heat rising over SRA plan for solicitors in unregulated firms
The Legal Services Board has received unprecedented lobbying against the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s plans to allow solicitors to practise from unregulated businesses.
Leading firm ordered to hand over part of client file to HMRC
National law firm DAC Beachcroft has had mixed success in fighting off a bid by HM Revenue & Customs to access a conveyancing file involving offshore clients.
Four solicitors struck off after leaving firm in £61m debt
Four solicitors have been struck off for their role at a Preston law firm which collapsed owing the scandal-hit Axiom Legal Financing Fund £61m.
Solicitor and barrister both sanctioned for drink driving
A solicitor and barrister have separately been sanctioned for drink-drive offences, although only the latter appeared before a disciplinary tribunal.
City lawyer “diverted client cash to own bank account”
A Spanish lawyer who sent “misleading” emails to divert £183,000 intended for his client to his personal bank account, has been struck off the register of European lawyers.
Divorcing man told: You can’t pay your lawyers without paying your wife’s
The husband in a divorce dispute cannot pay his lawyers a pound without paying a pound to his wife’s solicitors, the High Court has ruled.
Solicitor struck off after income tax fraud conviction
A solicitor who fraudulently claimed £37,000 in income tax repayments has been struck off. Her sentencing judge had said she was “wholly unsuitable to be a solicitor”.
£30k fine for solicitor who sought profit through overcharging
A solicitor who instituted a practice of “gross overcharging” in clinical negligence cases so as to maximise profits has been fined £30,000 by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Law firm rebuked after overcharging for deputyship work
A Dorset law firm has been rebuked after taking more money in costs than it was entitled to from a man subject to a deputyship order.
Blog
Not everything can be a competition issue – a new dawn for consumer redress
Last month, the Law Commission launched a new project to “consider the potential introduction of a consumer class actions regime” in England and Wales.
Modern search is about ‘knowledge’ retrieval
Search has long been understood as data retrieval – the ability to call back information and check a box on finding something. Legal professionals today need more of a 360-degree view on a matter.
Lessons from Sir Keir Starmer for SRA chief
The proposed 29%, or £25m, increase in the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s budget announced last week should really come as no great surprise.
