Compliance & Regulation
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.
Government finally unveils laws to clamp down on SLAPPs
The government is to define in law what a SLAPP is in relation to economic crime and require claimants to prove it has a reasonable chance of success to advance it in court.
CILEX move “could open door to single regulator”
The dispute between CILEX and its regulator opens the door to a single regulator for the legal profession, another of the regulators has cautioned.
Solicitor handed record SRA fine for accounts rules breaches
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has fined a senior partner £18,750 for accounts rules breaches – the biggest fine for an individual since the regulator was given increased powers last year.
Pandemic experience has given lawyers more confidence in tech
The experience of the pandemic has given lawyers greater confidence in innovation and technology, leading to a “step change” in their use over the past three years, major research has found.
Solicitor failed to tell clients their claims had been struck out
A senior solicitor who misled two clients for three years over the progress of their personal injury claims – when they had actually been struck out – has been struck off.
“About time” – Post Office replaces HSF as Horizon inquiry lawyers
The Post Office has replaced City giant Herbert Smith Freehills as its solicitors for the ongoing Horizon IT Inquiry, it announced yesterday, a move observers suggested was overdue.
Career barriers “could widen ethnicity attainment gap” in SQE
Career barriers facing law students from ethnic minority backgrounds could affect their performance in the SQE if they feel there is little point in doing well.
Vaginal mesh claimants “distraught” after SRA closes firm
Women who claim to have been harmed by vaginal mesh implant surgery have been left “angry and distraught” after the SRA closed down a law firm acting for them.
Barrister suspended for recklessly misleading Court of Appeal
A barrister who recklessly misled the Court of Appeal – and made “serious and misconceived allegations” against other lawyers in doing so – has been suspended for a year.
Lawyers face beefed-up rules on handling complaints
Changes to statutory requirements on how lawyers handle complaints will move closer this week amid concern that consumers are being let down at the moment.
Fine for firm that failed to recognise conflict in property dispute
A law firm that failed to recognise a conflict of interest when it acted for one party in a dispute over a boundary issue on a property it had divided has been fined £4,250.
Solicitor who “continuously and repeatedly” lied to client is struck off
A solicitor who “continuously and repeatedly” lied to a client about the progress of his professional negligence claim has been struck off.
Blog
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.
The AI governance gap in law firms and why it matters now
A third of law firms are already using AI tools with no formal policy in place to govern how AI gets used, what data goes into it, or who’s accountable when something goes wrong.
Reports
Associates
