Compliance & Regulation
Finance director used client funds to pay VAT and salaries
The former finance director of a law firm has been banned from the law after using “residual client monies” kept in a separate deposit account to pay the firm’s VAT and staff salaries.
LSB delays decision on new breed of accountant probate providers
The Legal Services Board has given itself more time to decide on whether to approve a new breed of law firm created by CILEx Regulation and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
Law firm fined £18,000 for working with struck-off solicitor
An alternative business structure has been fined £18,000 for working with a struck-off solicitor without the approval of the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Solicitor told SRA client files were “locked in a safe in Pakistan”
A solicitor who told the Solicitors Regulation Authority that his firm’s client files were “locked in a safe in Pakistan”, and used client money to pay a VAT bill, has been struck off.
Cost of practising as a solicitor set to fall by 6.7%
The cost of practising as a solicitor is to fall by 6.7% in the coming year, although it may have to rise in future once the Law Society sets a new reserves policy.
Head of failed PI firm struck off for “double funding” cases
The director of a law firm who admitted taking money from two different litigation funders for the same cases in an attempt to keep it operating “at all costs” has been struck off.
Solicitor faces SRA probe over Taliban tweet
The solicitor for the family of Shamima Begum was at the centre of a social media storm yesterday over a tweet about the Taliban’s resurgence in Afghanistan.
Lawyers “must contact NCA immediately” before disclosing SARs
Lawyers compelled by the CPR or court order to reveal the contents or existence of suspicious activity reports must contact the National Crime Agency at the “first opportunity”, the Home Office has said.
Regulators forced to self-finance compensation funds
Two of the smaller legal regulators are having to self-finance their compensation funds after their insurer stopped providing cover, reducing the potential payouts as a result.
Solicitor finally faces disciplinary tribunal after 2015 rape conviction
A senior solicitor convicted more than six years ago of raping a teenager is finally facing the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, it emerged yesterday.
Law Society prepares guidance on Supreme Court undertakings ruling
The Law Society is to issue guidance on last month’s Supreme Court ruling on solicitors’ undertakings, which a legal regulation expert said has left conveyancers “very much in a mire”.
Accountants doing probate work failing on price transparency
Chartered accountants handling probate work are to face compulsory rules on publishing price and service information after their regulator admitted a voluntary approach had not worked.
Trainee and legal cashier banned for taking money
A trainee solicitor and a legal cashier have each been banned from working for law firms after being found to have taken money from their respective firms.
High Court rejects appeal by struck-off pension scam solicitor
The High Court has rejected an appeal by a solicitor struck off after he “turned a blind eye” to the warning signs of fraud in an early release pension scam.
SRA demands firms declare compliance with transparency rules
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has written to 8,000 law firms to demand a declaration that their websites are compliant with the transparency rules and display its clickable logo.
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.
