Compliance & Regulation
Client biases “help explain” number of BAME solicitors in SRA’s sights
Bias among those who make complaints and the types of firms BAME solicitors work for might explain why they are overrepresented in disciplinary activity, researchers have suggested.
Solicitor misled client and sent SRA faked documents
A solicitor who misled his client about the progress of her employment claim and then sent the Solicitors Regulation Authority fabricated documents to back up his position has been struck off.
Solicitor struck off for deception over money that was never missing
A solicitor who complained to his bank about a missing transfer of £189,000 has been struck off because the money was never there and he faked various documents to back up his case.
Chambers offered to “carry me up stairs” to pupillage interview
A barrister with a spinal cord injury has described how a set of chambers, despite being told in advance that he was disabled, offered to carry him up the stairs to a pupillage interview.
Solicitor successfully appeals rebuke issued by SRA
A solicitor has had a rare success in successfully appealing a rebuke issued by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, which had found him vicariously responsible for errors by his bookkeepers.
Around 60% of non-practising solicitors apply to stay on roll
Around 60% of non-practising solicitors have paid £20 to remain on the roll for the next year after the first exercise to update it since 2014.
Firms could be forced to point consumers to LeO complaints records
Law firms may be compelled to point potential clients to Legal Ombudsman decisions about them to help make it easier for consumers to choose a lawyer.
SRA rebukes lawyers for bankruptcy and costs misconduct
A solicitor who continued to practise after being made bankrupt and a fee-earner who failed to return disallowed costs to Court of Protection clients have been rebuked.
SRA looks to “harness the potential of unbundling”
The Solicitors Regulation Authority wants to “harness the potential of unbundling to broaden access to legal services and increase consumer choice”, it said yesterday.
Bar chair calls for private prosecutions rethink after Post Office scandal
It is time to look “very carefully” at whether those who “regarded themselves as victims” should be able to bring private prosecutions in the wake of the Post Office scandal.
Unregulated legal services firms “want more regulation”
Most unregulated legal services firms support “some aspects of regulation” for their areas but there is not a clear case for major reform, a report for the SRA has concluded.
Solicitor struck off after police Grindr sting
A solicitor caught in a police sting while using gay dating app Grindr and convicted of attempted sexual communication with a child has been struck off.
Barrister jailed for obtaining drugs from criminal clients
A barrister infamous for his conviction for possession of drugs that led to the death of his boyfriend has been jailed for 14 months after obtaining drugs from clients he was representing.
City solicitor sexually obsessed with teenage co-worker struck off
A City lawyer who shared intimate pictures with a teenage apprentice and sent her a video of him pleasuring himself was yesterday struck off.
Acting for “environment-harming” clients “not about access to justice”
Decisions taken by law firms to act for clients, including “environment-harming” fossil fuel companies and others, are not about access to justice or legal ethics, a leading academic has argued.
Blog
Accountability has to live within governance, not with one person
The assumption has long been that a COLP or COFA is personally exposed to the consequences of anti-money laundering breaches.
The SRA’s client money reforms: good intentions, questionable execution
On the face of it, the SRA’s plans to tighten protections around client money sounds sensible. The detail, as ever, tells a more complicated story.
Recruitment, retention and reward in the legal accounts world
Understanding the legal finance market is important – not just for those actively involved in it day-to-day but also for leaders within law firms.
