Compliance & Regulation
First legal executive should have new litigation rights in six weeks
The first chartered legal executive with standalone litigation practice rights could be authorised in six weeks’ time, with around 2,300 expected to apply for them in the next 18 months.
Ethics and profits clash “regularly”, say general counsel
Most general counsel at large UK companies have said that ethical and moral concerns “regularly” come into conflict with “profit motivations”.
A third of law firms non-compliant with AML rules
Nearly a third of law firms checked by the SRA for their approach to anti-money laundering in the past year were non-compliant, a big rise on the previous 12 months.
Male barrister disbarred for sexually harassing woman at social events
A male barrister who sexually harassed the same woman at two different social events has been disbarred by a Bar disciplinary tribunal.
Solicitor who criticised “draconian” strike-off cannot return to roll
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has refused a solicitor’s bid to be restored to the roll just three years after being struck off for dishonesty.
Legal Services Board sets out scope of Mazur review
The Legal Services Board is to probe “the scale and impact” of breaches of the right to conduct litigation in the wake of the Mazur ruling.
Consultancy for law firms and investors spins out of City practice
A specialist strategic consultancy advising lawyers, investors and regulators has spun out of a City law firm as demand for help in navigating the legal market grows.
Law firms disagree on what should be considered a complaint
Law firms are divided over what should be regarded as a complaint from clients, a survey by the Solicitors Regulation Authority has found.
Judge slashes law firm’s costs because of Mazur
A regional costs judge has described how he applied the ruling in Mazur to cut the costs awarded to a law firm in a housing possession case from £3,000 to less than £500.
Pioneering AI law firm untroubled by impact of Mazur
The Mazur ruling will have no impact on the work of the first regulated AI law firm as the technology is not conducting litigation, its founder has asserted.
SSB Law victims pile pressure on SRA over other volume claims firms
The collapse of SSB Law was not a one-off and a wider review of the SRA’s handling of volume claims firms is needed, victims of the scandal have argued.
Law firm boss struck off for using client money to pay debts
A law firm owner who used client money to shore up his firm and pay personal debts in the face of cash flow problems has been struck off.
Give facts not suspicions when whistleblowing, in-house lawyers told
In-house lawyers considering whistleblowing have been advised by the Law Society to “disclose specific information with factual content, not suspicions or unfounded allegations”.
SDT distinguishes its definition of dishonesty from the court’s
A solicitor found to have been fundamentally dishonest in a personal injury claim has been cleared of dishonesty by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Is AML move the first step towards single legal regulator?
The government’s decision to rationalise the oversight of AML supervision could be a precursor to the entirety of legal regulation, a leading practitioner has suggested.
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.
