Compliance & Regulation
Solicitor avoids strike-off for dishonest email to opposing side
A solicitor’s “moment of madness” in misleading an opposing firm on a matter while she was suspended on disciplinary grounds has avoided being struck off.
Solicitor who forged trustees’ signatures struck off
A solicitor who used forged cheques from trustees or money from another client to cover up the fact she had failed to submit tax returns on time has been struck off.
LSB to put focus on “ethical competence” of lawyers
There needs to be more focus on the “ethical competence” of lawyers throughout their careers, the Legal Services Board has suggested.
Solicitor convicted of exposing himself while jogging struck off
A senior director of a West Midlands law firm who was convicted of exposing himself to young girls while jogging in Dorset has been struck off.
APIL in new bid to ban all cold calling
The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers is seeking an amendment to a data protection bill currently going through the House of Commons to ban all cold calling.
CILEX can press ahead with talking to SRA about switching regulator
The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives has the power, in principle, to change its regulator to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Legal Services Board has decided.
SDT rejects US firm’s “astonishing” bid to see ex-trainee’s evidence
The SDT has dismissed as “astonishing” arguments put by a US law firm to see all the evidence in the prosecution of a former trainee solicitor before its witnesses give evidence.
Major project to examine legal ethics after the Post Office scandal
A three-year project to understand the ethical problems that arose for lawyers involved in the Post Office scandal, and how they can be avoided in future, has been launched.
Strike-off for solicitor who kept charity in dark while overcharging estate
A solicitor who overcharged a deceased client’s estate by £35,000 and sold his house to a company owned by a trust of which she was a beneficiary has been struck off.
SDT “went easy” on solicitor who tried to trick farmer out of tenancy
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal was wrong to find that an agricultural law solicitor who used a ‘common’ ruse to trick an opponent was not dishonest.
Big fine for solicitor’s sexual harassment “a clear message”, says SDT
A male City solicitor who sexually harassed a female solicitor at a work event has been fined £30,000 in what a tribunal said was a “clear message” that such behaviour is “completely unacceptable”.
SQE stands up in the era of ChatGPT, says SRA chief
The Solicitors Qualifying Examination holds up well in the era of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT, the boss of the Solicitors Regulation Authority says today.
City law firm staff banned after indecent photos convictions
Two support staff at leading City practices have been banned from the profession after being convicted of possessing indecent photographs of children.
“Over-excited” firms risk ChatGPT data breaches
Law firms and other businesses that are “over-excited” by the potential of ChatGPT to boost productivity risk inputting sensitive and confidential client information.
SRA to use new economic crime power “hundreds of times a year”
The Solicitors Regulation Authority expects to use its proposed new power to demand information from solicitors about economic crime several hundred times a year, it has emerged.
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
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