Compliance & Regulation
Panel backs making law firms tell clients how to complain at end of cases
The Legal Services Consumer Panel has come out strongly in favour of law firms telling clients how to complain at the end of a matter as well as the beginning.
Solicitor settled employment claim without asking client
A solicitor with mental health issues who settled an employment tribunal claim without consulting her client has been struck off.
War of words between trainee and ex-Attorney General over SQE
Former Attorney General Suella Braverman KC has entered into a war of words with a trainee solicitor over a petition calling for reform of the SQE.
Strike-off for solicitor who hid partnership money during divorce
A partner who deliberately failed to disclose during his divorce that he held over £23,000 in his capital account has been struck off.
SRA awards £360k in grants to help disadvantaged students qualify
Eleven organisations are to receive grants totalling £360,000 to pay the costs of up to 190 aspiring solicitors from disadvantages backgrounds sitting the SQE.
Zahawi solicitor appeals to High Court over misconduct finding
The solicitor for former Conservative Chancellor Nadeem Zahawi has appealed against the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal ruling which found him guilty of misconduct.
Solicitor who ignored AML rules for six years struck off
A sole practitioner has been struck off for ignoring the anti-money laundering rules for six years and also showing a “complete disregard” for residual client balances.
City solicitor struck off for child sex convictions
A former City solicitor has been struck off after being convicted at Southwark Crown Court on two separate occasions and jailed for child sex offences.
Number of Bar training course students continues to rise
The number of students enrolling on Bar training courses has increased for the fourth year in a row, to 2,445, with pass rates varying a great deal depending on the course provider.
Misconduct by solicitor leading to civil restraint order “was not noble”
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has rejected an argument from a solicitor made subject to a general civil restraint order that his “underlying motivation” was “noble”.
Barrister loses appeal against disbarment for sexual harassment
A barrister disbarred for sexual harassing a woman during a mini pupillage and, separately, two pupils at social events, has lost his appeal against the sanction.
BSB gives undertakings over performance improvements
The Bar Standards Board has given the Legal Services Board a series of voluntary undertakings about how it will improve its performance over the next three years.
SRA and FCA join forces to warn over motor finance misconduct
Regulators have issued a warning to law firms and claims management companies about their conduct of motor finance claims ahead of tomorrow’s Supreme Court ruling.
LeO eyes £600 case fee for lawyers who do not handle complaints well
LeO has decided against introducing a ‘polluter pays’ principle to penalise firms which repeatedly fail to deal with complaints properly – but wants to increase the case fee by 50%.
Solicitor fails to overturn SDT finding over misuse of client money
A solicitor struck off for using client money to prop up his firm has failed in his appeal to the High Court – and also in his effort to remain anonymous.
Blog
Change in regulator shouldn’t make AML less of a priority
While SRA fines for AML have been climbing, many in the profession aren’t confident they will get any relief from the FCA, a body used to dealing with a highly regulated industry.
There are 17 million wills waiting to be written
The main reason cited by people who do not have a will was a lack of awareness as to how to arrange one. As a professional community, we seem to be failing to get our message across.
The case for a single legal services regulator: why the current system is failing
From catastrophic firm collapses to endemic compliance failures, the evidence is mounting that the current multi-regulator model is fundamentally broken.
