Compliance & Regulation
SFO decides on retrial for Axiom defendant who split jury
A financial adviser alleged to have been part of the Axiom Legal Financing Fund fraud is to face a retrial after a jury last month failed to reach a verdict, the Serious Fraud Office has decided.
Law firm fined for failing to recognise conflict that arose in probate case
A law firm has been fined after failing to recognise that a conflict of interest had arisen in acting for both an estate and its personal representative after he made a claim on the estate.
Replacing SIF with compensation fund would be “unlawful”
It would be unlawful for the Solicitors Regulation Authority to replace the Solicitors Indemnity Fund with some form of compensation fund, a leading expert has argued.
Data Reform Bill: Better for business?
Four years since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was implemented, statistics from RSM have revealed that 30% of European businesses are still not compliant – so is it time for further fresh legislation?
EAT allows sacked law firm boss to continue challenging 2014 ruling
A former law firm director, now a barrister, trying to challenge an eight-year-old employment tribunal ruling that found her guilty of serious financial impropriety has overcome the first hurdle.
Birmingham solicitors oppose regulator’s plan to replace SIF
The SRA’s failure to find an alternative to the Solicitors Indemnity Fund over a decade shows that the “only sensible option” is to retain it, Birmingham Law Society has argued.
Liberalising legislation to help lawyer-led MDPs grow in Germany
Multi-disciplinary practices are set to develop further in Germany in the wake a new law that expands the types of professionals with whom lawyers can form partnerships.
Convictions for peaceful protests “should not lead to regulatory action”
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is unlikely to take action against solicitors convicted in exercising their right to protest where no significant harm has been caused, it said yesterday.
SRA lays out when it would act over sexual misconduct outside practice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has today made clear that it can and will take action over sexual misconduct which happens entirely outside of a solicitor’s practice.
Male partner who “harassed” junior female colleague agrees to come off roll
A solicitor who made “inappropriate” comments to a junior colleague has avoided the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal by agreeing to remove himself from the roll for at least three years.
Law Society “could support” in-house alternative to SIF
The Law Society has “no objection in principle” to the Solicitors Indemnity Fund being replaced by an in-house alternative run by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
CILEX private client firm becomes first to transfer to SRA
A private client firm in Norwich has become the first to transfer regulator from CILEX Regulation to the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Decisions to suspend solicitors “should stay public” for extra three years
Decisions to suspend solicitors should stay in the public domain for three years after they return to work, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has argued.
Mayson: LSB’s ongoing competence push is “mission impossible”
The Legal Services Board is on a “mission impossible” in imposing an ongoing competence regime on the legal profession that will generate disproportionate costs for lawyers and consumers.
SRA: Expected spike in claims over dubious schemes has not happened
Solicitors’ contributions to the SRA Compensation Fund will fall next year because an anticipated spike in the level of claims arising from dubious investment schemes did not transpire.
Blog
Our vision for 2026: A shared approach to AML
We want to see law firms start taking AML compliance as seriously as it deserves. This means treating it not as a tick-box exercise or a procedural necessity, but as a serious part of company culture.
Why later-life divorce requires a distinct professional framework
Later-life divorce, often described as ‘silver splitter’ or ‘grey divorce’ cases, is no longer a marginal feature of family law practice. It challenges long-standing assumptions about how divorce work is done.
Listening, learning and leading The Solicitor’s Charity with care
As I prepare to hand over the mantle of chair of The Solicitor’s Charity next month, it doesn’t feel like an end. Instead, it feels like a wonderful journey.
