Compliance & Regulation
SRA ordered to make £400k interim costs payment to Zahawi solicitor
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has been ordered to make an interim costs payment of £400,000 to the solicitor for former Conservative Chancellor Nadeem Zahawi.
PM Law clients receiving files and emergency payments
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has begun making emergency payments to clients of collapsed law firm PM Law, it revealed yesterday.
Veteran solicitor who misled mortgage provider struck off
A solicitor’s 50-year legal career has ended with being struck off after he misled a mortgage lender about when completion on a conveyancing transaction had taken place.
Strike-off for advocate who lied about arriving after court hearing
A self-employed advocate who lied in an attendance note about a court hearing in an attempt to cover up the fact he had missed it, has been struck off.
Legal Ombudsman receives record number of complaints
The rising tide of complaints to the Legal Ombudsman continues to accelerate, with 37% more in the last quarter of 2025 compared to a year earlier and the most in a quarter ever.
Justice system “should not be funded by client money”
The justice system is a core public service that should not be funded “through the appropriation of client money” by an Interest on Lawyers’ Client Account scheme, the Law Society has said.
ILCA schemes “work really efficiently around the world”
Interest on Lawyers’ Client Account schemes “work really efficiently” in 77 jurisdictions around the world, MPs were told yesterday.
Legal Services Board faces first review in nine years
The Ministry of Justice yesterday announced a long-awaited review of the Legal Services Board – the first of the oversight regulator since 2017.
Two law firm workers banned from profession after theft convictions
Two women who were separately convicted of theft from the law firms where they worked have been banned from the profession.
Barrister disbarred over bid to avoid paying chambers rent
A barrister who misled a client into thinking he was working through chambers when he was not – so as to avoid paying rent on the income – has been disbarred.
ILCA: Law firms will look to hold money outside of client accounts
An Interest on Lawyers’ Client Account scheme will likely push law firms to hold more client money outside of a client account, to the detriment of consumer protection.
Barrister disbarred for sexually assaulting child
A barrister who sexually assaulted a child in 1992 and “used his position of trust to groom that victim” has been disbarred.
Government presses ahead with HMRC register plan for conveyancers
The government gave no sign of backing down on requiring conveyancers to register as tax advisers with HM Revenue & Customs in this week’s debate on the Finance Bill.
Judge rejects disbarred barrister’s appeal over immigration firm
An ex-barrister who failed to disclose he had been disbarred has failed in a challenge to the Immigration Advice Authority’s refusal to register his firm.
SRA intervenes into 11 firms making up PM Law group
The SRA has intervened into 11 law firms that between them have 30 trading names following the sudden closure on Monday of the PM Law group..
Blog
It’s time for law firms to ask tougher questions
For years, many law firms have treated ID verification as a box-ticking exercise. Run a liveness check, match a face to a document and move on. But that is no longer good enough.
Business fatigue to AI will risk job security
Whilst we know professional learning has always been part of career paths, to hire, retain and keep talent, AI needs to be embedded as a core part of this training.
On good authority? GenAI and the reputational risks to law firms
As GenAI’s influence grows, so do the risks which are already playing out in courtrooms across England and Wales, where some early adopters are setting precedents they would rather not.
