Compliance & Regulation
Head of CPS and health regulator named new SRA chair
Caroline Corby, the chair of both the Crown Prosecution Service and the Professional Standards Authority, has been named new chair of the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Small firms alliance unhappy with call to back down on SRA vote
The SME & Boutique Law Firm Alliance has expressed concern about pushback to its plan to call a vote of no confidence in the SRA board at tomorrow’s Law Society AGM.
Charity eyes judicial review over SRA’s approach to complaints
A charity for litigants in person has sent the SRA a letter before claim for judicial review over rejecting reports from members of the public without investigation.
Solicitor who “preferred interests” of one client over others struck off
A veteran solicitor who “preferred the interests” of one client in property transactions over the interests of his co-owners has been struck off.
Ethics, AI, wellbeing and supervision to the fore in competence review
A stronger focus on ethics, as well as new provisions on AI, supervision and wellbeing, are set to be added to the statement of solicitor competence.
AI poses “existential threat” to immigration cases, tribunal warns
The ability of AI to generate documents and other material could pose “an existential threat to the integrity of the immigration appeal system”, the Upper Tribunal has warned.
Solicitor fined for misleading mentally ill client
A solicitor who misled a client over a psychiatric report to “avoid exacerbating” their mental health problems has been fined £15,000.
Small firms launch campaign to keep client interest
The SME and Boutique Law Firm Alliance is asking firms to sign an open letter to Prime Minister Andy Burnham over the proposals to appropriate client account interest.
Banks “will cut rates” if government takes client account interest
Banks will cut the interest they pay on law firms’ client accounts from up to 3.75% to 1% if the government goes ahead with its plan to take most of the money.
Solicitor who tried to cover up claim service failure struck off
A solicitor who sought to cover up his failure to serve a claim on the defendant by fabricating a letter and then misleading the court has been struck off.
Rapson: Two-thirds of SRA investigations touch on ethics
Two-thirds of investigations by the Solicitors Regulation Authority involve “some reference” to professional ethics, its chief executive said yesterday.
SRA heading for Carter-Ruck showdown in Supreme Court
The High Court has granted the SRA permission to appeal the Carter-Ruck ruling and issued a leapfrog certificate to take it straight to the Supreme Court.
SME law firm group reports “positive” meeting with SRA
The SME & Boutique Law Firm Alliance has described a meeting yesterday with the Solicitors Regulation Authority as “a positive step forward” – but with still a long way to go.
Questions over “drunk barrister” fail to save convicted man’s appeal
The Court of Appeal has rejected a convicted man’s application for third-party disclosure from the Bar Standards Board over claims that his prosecutor was drunk.
LSB ditches plan to up pressure on regulators over diversity
The Legal Services Board has unexpectedly ditched plans that would have increased pressure on regulators to improve diversity in the profession.
Blog
Why onboarding has become a strategic priority for law firms
One of the most influential stages of the client journey – client onboarding – often receives less strategic attention than it deserves.
Why law firms are getting AI supervision wrong
The profession’s response to AI supervision failures misunderstands the nature of LLM output – there needs to be for a shift in the culture.
Beyond the PII premium – rethinking risk
Professional indemnity insurance renewal is often treated as an annual pricing exercise. But it is also a chance to show how effectively you identify, manage and mitigate risk.
Reports
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