Compliance & Regulation
MPs’ watchdog takes on barristers too as new BSB chair
Kathryn Stone is to add overseeing the conduct of barristers to her current role as MPs’ watchdog after she was appointed chair of the Bar Standards Board.
SRA eyes in-house alternative to Solicitors Indemnity Fund after u-turn
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has said it believes “a new consumer protection arrangement within the SRA” was likely to be more cost-effective than retaining the Solicitors Indemnity Fund.
Solicitor found in criminal contempt for “act of colossal stupidity”
A senior City partner who told a client to “burn” a private messaging app after it was served with a search order has been found guilty of criminal contempt of court.
SRA to reinstate annual fee for 60,000 non-practising solicitors
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to go ahead with plans to reintroduce next April an annual application fee of up to £40 for non-practising solicitors who want to stay on the roll.
Judge throws out “career-ending” contempt claim against solicitor
A High Court judge has rejected a potentially “career-ending” contempt application against a solicitor, describing it as “wholly frivolous” and totally without merit.
“Duped” solicitor fails in challenge to strike-off
A solicitor “duped” into paying over £1.2m in sale proceeds to third parties in what turned out to be property frauds has failed in his appeal against being struck off.
Solicitors could be jailed for new property register failures
Solicitors could be jailed or fined for failures in the way they verify entries on the register of overseas entities, which went live yesterday.
Barrister compliance with transparency rules increases sharply
The Bar has improved its compliance with the rules on transparency and more consumers are shopping around for potential providers, Bar Standards Board research has found.
SDT rejects restoration plea 21 years after strike off
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has refused to allow an immigration solicitor to be restored to the roll 21 years after he was struck off for accounts rule breaches.
SRA agrees to keep Solicitors Indemnity Fund alive with £6m undertaking
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has agreed to a request from the Solicitors Indemnity Fund to underwrite its potential liabilities in continuing to operate by providing a £6m undertaking.
LSB tells regulators to get moving with ongoing competence reform
The legal regulators have been given six months to deliver action plans to the Legal Services Board on how they are going to reform their regimes to ensure lawyers’ ongoing competence.
LSB backs huge cut in time limit for complaining to Legal Ombudsman
The Legal Services Board has, after “very extensive debate”, backed a cut in the time limit for complaining to the Legal Ombudsman from six years to only one year.
Ban for PI fee-earner who used Covid as excuse for missing deadlines
A fee-earner at Slater & Gordon who falsely claimed he had missed litigation deadlines because of scanning errors and not being in the office due to the pandemic has been banned from working in law firms.
Solicitor told trainee to draft misleading defence to barrister’s fee claim
A solicitor who told a trainee to draft an “incorrect and misleading” defence to an unpaid fees claim from a barrister – which ignored his firm’s liability for the money – has been fined £7,500.
Solicitors at incorporated firms should not give personal undertakings
Lawyers at incorporated law firms should not give personal undertakings even though the corporate undertakings are not enforceable, the Law Society has said.
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.
