Compliance & Regulation
Legal regulators secure government cash for innovation projects
The Solicitors Regulation Authority and Costs Lawyer Standards Board have both won grants from the government’s Regulators Pioneer Fund to run projects encouraging innovation.
Trainee solicitor banned for lying about work done for colleague
A trainee solicitor who lied about the work he had done covering for a colleague who was on annual leave has been banned from working in the profession.
Chambers obtains final injunction after cyber-attack
A London chambers and its 87 members hit by a cyber-attack have secured a final injunction from the High Court to stop “persons unknown” using any information stolen.
NDAs “cannot be controlled by professional regulators”
The use of NDAs cannot be effectively controlled by professional regulators like the SRA and legislation is needed, a campaigner for tougher restrictions has told Legal Futures.
LSB demands regulators deliver “real change in outcomes for consumers”
The Legal Services Board has today demanded further action from regulators to deliver “real change in outcomes” as it publishes a draft statutory policy statement on empowering consumers.
Fraud, overbilling and more – SRA bans non-solicitors over misconduct
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has banned a string of non-solicitors from working in the profession, with issues like theft, overbilling and fabricating documents among the causes.
Male barrister suspended for groping female clerk and trainee solicitor
A male barrister who groped a female clerk from his chambers and a female trainee from his main instructing solicitors while on a Friday night out has been suspended for a year.
QC criticises “partisan” City law firm over advice given to RICS
A QC has heavily criticised City law firm Fieldfisher over the advice it gave the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) during a governance crisis.
£50k fine for partner at leading firm who “recreated” letters
An equity partner at a leading law firm who recreated documents he thought had been sent, but passed them off as copies of the originals, has been fined £50,000.
Jail for lawyer who defrauded employers of £600,000
A lawyer who defrauded the Commonwealth Secretariat and law firm Cooley out of over £600,000 has been jailed for seven and a half years.
Treat personal mitigation “with caution” in cases of sexual misconduct
Personal mitigation needs to be treated with “caution” in the context of sexual misconduct, discrimination and harassment, draft new guidance on disciplining barristers warns.
Law firm was akin to “slow-motion car crash”, tribunal finds
A law firm owner’s failures turned his practice into a “complete shambles” which was “akin to a slow-motion car crash occurring over a number of years”, the SDT has found.
Post Office scandal inquiry urged to put more focus on the lawyers
The inquiry into the Post Office Horizon scandal has been urged to put more focus on the role of lawyers in perpetuating the organisation’s intransigence over the IT system’s problems.
Barrister apprenticeships a “viable option”, specialist argues
Apprenticeships are a “viable option” to qualification as a barrister, but they would need collaboration between the Bar Standards Board, education providers and the Bar, a new paper has argued.
Leading firm rebuked for letting £21m pass through client account
A leading south-coast law firm that allowed its client account to be used as a banking facility, with £21m passing through it, has been rebuked.
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
Associates
