Compliance & Regulation
Suspension for solicitor who recruited disbarred barrister fraudster
A veteran solicitor “duped” when recruiting a disbarred barrister with a fraud conviction – having not checked his background – has been suspended for 18 months.
SRA closes down practice of leading sports lawyer
The Solicitors Regulation Authority yesterday closed down the practice of a high-profile sports lawyer who has acted for the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Tyson Fury.
Volume litigation and law firm consolidators on LSB’s agenda
Volume litigation, consolidator law firms and unregulated legal service providers are the focus of a new consumer protection programme launched by the Legal Services Board.
CAT strikes out challenge to Scottish Bar rules
The Competition Appeal Tribunal has struck out a challenge to the rules of the Faculty of Advocates, the Scottish Bar, over a restriction on who can instruct barristers.
KC: Law of agency and delegation could help challenge Mazur
The “basic principles of agency and delegation” could be used to argue that the Mazur judgment was wrongly decided, a KC and judge has suggested.
Solicitor suspended for hiding firm’s financial problems from SRA
A law firm partner who failed to disclose to the Solicitors Regulation Authority that her firm was facing a winding-up petition has been suspended for three months.
FCA to have extensive powers over lawyers in AML role
Deeper checks of law firm owners and the ability to bring criminal prosecutions are among the powers proposed for the FCA once it takes over supervising lawyers’ AML activities.
Court to rule on SRA’s powers to see privileged material
The High Court is set to decide on whether the Solicitors Regulation Authority has the power it claims to examine legally privileged material as part of investigations.
SDT clears solicitor of dishonesty over costs claim
A solicitor accused of dishonestly seeking more costs than his client was entitled to claim has been cleared by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
SRA belatedly publishes restrictions placed on Mazur lawyer
The fee-earner at the heart of the Mazur ruling is a ‘senior litigation executive’ who was suspended indefinitely as a solicitor 17 years ago, the SRA has revealed.
Strike-off for solicitor who lied to Home Office and MP
A solicitor who lied to his client, his law firm, the Home Office and an MP after failing to make submissions in an asylum claim has been struck off.
Regulators should have access to centralised data on law firms
A centralised ‘risk and intelligence hub’ should be created and accessible to all regulators to flag up law firms showing early signs of systemic failure.
Minister: Mazur supports “growing” case for review of legal regulation
The Mazur ruling is further evidence of “a growing case for re-examining the legislative foundations of legal services regulation”, the Ministry of Justice has said.
Legal Ombudsman seeks 12% budget rise as complaints mount
The Legal Ombudsman has recommended a £2.4m, or 12.1%, increase in its budget for next year to cope with fast-rising levels of complaints and conduct a radical review of how it operates.
Junior solicitor struck off for lying in pupillage application
A junior solicitor at a leading City law firm who lied about his academic achievements on a pupillage application when trying to move to the Bar has been struck off.
Blog
Strong AML controls are meaningless with incomplete data
One expectation as the FCA takes control of anti-money laundering oversight is a move towards more supervision rather than simply writing new rules.
Navigating the legal AI productivity-profitability paradox
Firms are achieving efficiencies through AI, especially in the practice of law. Yet many are struggling to see that reflected in their financial outcomes
Regulation, growth and access to justice: why legal services need a reset
Well-intentioned consumer protections embedded in the regulation of legal services increasingly act as barriers to innovation, competition and access to justice.
