Compliance & Regulation
Standard cyber-security form to aid solicitors instructing barristers
A standardised form for solicitors to assess the cyber-security arrangements of chambers they instruct has been launched by the Law Society and Bar Council.
The SRA’s first ABS – still going strong, 10 years on
Tomorrow marks the 10th anniversary of the first alternative business structure licensed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and the firm is still going strong.
Legal Ombudsman budget to top £15m after 5.8% increase approval
The Legal Services Board has approved a 5.8% increase in the budget of the Legal Ombudsman for the coming year, amounting to an extra £850,000 cost levied on the profession.
City firms urged to agree common approach to social mobility
City law firms need get on with agreeing a common approach to measure social mobility in their recruitment processes, a roundtable has heard from a former MP and solicitor.
SRA to reintroduce annual process and fee to stay on roll
Non-practising solicitors will have to apply to the Solicitors Regulation Authority every year once again and pay an annual charge of £30-£40 if they want to stay on the roll from April 2023.
“Core of dissatisfaction” with lawyers fuelling complaints to LeO
There is an “underlying core of dissatisfaction with legal service provision, expressed through the complaints system, that is not changing or being sufficiently addressed”, the chief legal ombudsman has said.
Solicitor misled law firm and SRA about driving convictions
A solicitor who made misleading statements to his law firm and the SRA about convictions for drink-driving and driving while disqualified has been struck off.
SRA to urge big firms to report ethnicity pay gap
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to encourage large law firms to start reporting their ethnicity pay gap and introduce ‘exit questionnaires’ for solicitors leaving the profession.
Solicitor who misled court fails in appeal against strike-off
A former partner at leading US firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher found by a High Court judge to have deliberately misled the court has failed in his appeal against being struck off.
Tribunal refuses to allow return to practice for suspended solicitor
A solicitor suspended from practice almost a decade ago has been refused re-entry to the profession due to doubts about whether he is ready for it.
Ukraine crisis exposes law firms “going too far” in clients’ interests
Some law firms have gone too far in pursuing their clients’ interests, but the need for solicitors to act in the public interest as well is becoming more important, a debate on the impact of the Ukraine crisis heard.
Suspension for prosecutor who accessed files about ex-wife’s partner
A former senior Crown prosecutor who was convicted of unlawfully accessing files relating to convictions of his ex-wife’s partner has been suspended from practice.
Government puts focus on SRA over solicitors handling SLAPPs
Addressing so-called SLAPPs is “a behavioural issue requiring regulatory interventions” against lawyers as much as using legislation, the government has said.
Solicitor intercepted complaint about her work sent to firm’s COLP
A solicitor who intercepted a complaint about her sent to her firm’s compliance officer for legal practice, and then replied from his email address, has been struck off.
Call for “robust plan” to tackle lawyer incompetence in high-risk areas
The Legal Services Consumer Panel has called for a “robust plan” to tackle incompetence by lawyers in “high-risk areas”, such as immigration and criminal advocacy.
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.
