Compliance & Regulation
SRA set to issue Mazur guidance – but onus is on solicitors
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to publish guidance on the implications on the Mazur ruling very shortly, it has told MPs.
Solicitor who lied to indemnity insurer is suspended
A solicitor who admitted misleading his indemnity insurer about being the sole signatory on client account and practised without insurance for several months, has been suspended.
Junior solicitor used AI to draft misleading letters to court
A junior solicitor who used AI to draft two misleading emails to the High Court “seems to have almost entirely outsourced the thinking process”, the judge has said.
SDT: Solicitor’s antisemitic tweets were “attention seeking”
A law firm owner who sent antisemitic messages on social media was attention seeking, rather than antisemitic, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has decided.
Suspended suspension for boss who bullied junior female staff
A law firm owner who bullied and harassed five junior female colleagues, including taking one to his flat after a Christmas party and asking her for a kiss, has been handed a suspended suspension.
SRA ordered to make interim £200k costs payment to Dentons
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has been ordered make an interim costs payment of £200,000 to global law firm Dentons – but the Court of Appeal questioned the overall costs claimed.
FCA claims market review to focus on financial services and housing
The Financial Conduct Authority’s review of the claims management market will focus on financial services and products, and housing disrepair, it has announced.
Solicitor struck off for asking client to pay fees into his bank account
A criminal defence solicitor who asked a client to pay his law firm’s fees into his personal bank account has been struck off for dishonesty.
Barrister fined for accusing senior judge of misconduct loses appeal
The High Court has dismissed an appeal by a barrister fined £15,000 for making an “unfounded and serious allegation of misconduct in public office” against a senior judge.
New approach to client complaints may be needed in age of AI
Existing approaches to legal services complaints handling “might not be suited to the challenges posed” by the age of AI, the Law Society has warned.
LeO directs law firm to pay £49k in latest public interest decisions
The Legal Ombudsman directed London law firm Laytons to pay £49,000 in compensation to a client for failing to register her lease extension in the latest batch of public interest decisions.
Sports solicitor fails in challenge to SRA intervention
A High Court judge has rejected a high-profile sports lawyer’s challenge to an intervention in his law firm by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
SRA highlights spike in conduct complaints amid “outsourcing ruse”
Misconduct reports about solicitors have risen 27% in the past year – and 58% over two years – the Solicitors Regulation Authority has revealed.
Financial Services Bill will be vehicle for AML switch to FCA
The government is set to legislate to transfer the anti-money laundering supervision of lawyers to the Financial Conduct Authority, it has emerged.
Judge refers solicitors to SRA for fake AI-generated cases
A circuit judge has referred two solicitors to the Solicitors Regulation Authority for submitting hallucinated cases to the court.
Blog
Don’t be fooled by the civil court statistics
The latest civil justice figures look deceptively upbeat, with faster claims. But these numbers mask a deeper truth: people are still waiting more than a year for justice.
SEO is changing: Are you measuring the right things?
AI means firms may see falling organic traffic and wonder if SEO is still working. The more interesting question is whether traffic is still the right measure of success.
Forms are evolving – and more interesting than you might think
I have spent much of my working life thinking about something most people would probably prefer not to think about at all: legal forms.
Reports
Associates
