Compliance & Regulation
“Honorable” solicitor and practice manager fined for misusing legal aid cash
A law firm owner and his practice manager have both been fined for mismanaging legal aid funds, although a tribunal found they were “honourably motivated”.
Solicitors “coercing” hospital patients into signing legal papers
Solicitors have been accused of visiting vulnerable patients in hospital wards in Leeds and “coercing” them into signing legal documents.
SRA bid for maximum £805,000 fine for solicitors “excessive and unjustified”
SRA plans to double the upper limit on fines for law firms to 5% of turnover and to £805,000 for individuals are “excessive and unjustified”, the Law Society has argued.
Complaints to SRA can constitute acts of stalking, Court of Appeal rules
Complaints to a lawyer’s employer and professional regulator can amount to acts of stalking, the Court of Appeal has ruled in a case where a senior government lawyer was targeted.
Solicitor’s “blind spot” led to vulnerable client being defrauded
A very experienced solicitor who showed a “complete blind spot” with regard to his obligations to ‘know your client’ and recognise the risks of conveyancing fraud has been suspended for a year.
Criminal solicitor fined £40k for pro bono work in family dispute
A criminal solicitor who helped out a friend in a family law dispute pro bono has been fined £40,000 for how he conducted the case, which “detrimentally impacted” all those involved.
Canadian law society allows listed DWF to overcome ban on buying firm
Listed practice DWF has bought a law firm in Vancouver, Canada for £28m, a deal only allowed by its local law society with conditions that ensure local lawyers retain control.
Client losses from cyber-attacks on law firms continue to fall
Law firms appear to be warding off cyber-attacks more successfully, with client losses falling to £700,000 in the first 10 months of this year, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has revealed.
Dishonest paralegal, drink driving, AML failure – SRA hands out penalties
A paralegal who used case files he had not worked on as part of his application to be an accredited police station representative has been banned, among the latest sanctions handed out by the SRA.
Law firms under “active investigation” for flouting sanctions regime
A small number of law firms are being investigated for either actively or negligently breaching sanctions imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it emerged yesterday.
SRA on lookout for solicitors “borrowing” from client money to pay bills
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is braced for solicitors looking to borrow from client account to help pay their bills in the face of a worsening economy, its chief executive said yesterday.
LSB promises regulators “greater autonomy” in performance regime
The Legal Services Board has promised the frontline legal regulators “greater autonomy” in its the framework it will use to assess regulators’ progress.
Lawyers should “actively advise” clients on their environmental impact
Lawyer are not merely “servants of their clients” and should counsel their clients about environmental harms their instructions may lead to, a leading legal academic has argued.
Supreme Court will not hear appeal on professional tribunal members’ pay
The Supreme Court has refused permission to appeal a ruling that a barrister who sat as a tribunal chair for the Nursing and Midwifery Council was a ‘worker’ and entitled to sickness and holiday pay.
SDT lifts restriction on solicitor holding management position in firms
The SDT has lifted part of the conditions imposed on a solicitor suspended for a year a decade ago for multiple rule breaches, allowing him to return to law firm management.
Blog
The trade-off mid-sized firm partners think they’re making
Most of the partners I talk to describe the same tension. They want the firm to run efficiently and hit its numbers, but they also want their people to feel supported, developed and fairly treated.
Communication as the core of client care in conveyancing
How a conveyancer approaches client care – particularly in relation to communication – can be the greatest differentiator for the success of a conveyancing firm.
Why brilliant lawyers sometimes fail
A question that often strikes a chord with partners in law firms is this: why is it that individuals who excel in one role sometimes struggle when promoted into another?
Reports
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