Compliance & Regulation
Judge given formal advice after creating “hostile environment”
A controversial employment judge has been issued with formal advice for misconduct after he was found to have created a “hostile environment” for a party.
Revealed: SRA withdraws complaints-handling rule changes
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has suddenly withdrawn proposed rule changes to improve how solicitors handle complaints from approval by the Legal Services Board.
Tribunal “right” to take Sidhu’s status into account in disbarment
The tribunal that disbarred Jo Sidhu KC was “certainly not wrong” to regard his status as rendering his conduct towards a mini-pupil particularly serious, the High Court has ruled.
LSB names chief executive as BSB starts search for a new one
The Legal Services Board has named Richard Orpin as its new chief executive, having been acting up in the role for the last six months.
Paralegal banned for dishonest emails as supervisor cleared
A paralegal who lied to solicitors in one email and to a client’s relative in another has been banned – but the solicitor who supervised her exonerated.
Billing practices and fair briefing among new Bar chair’s priorities
A campaign to improve billing practices at the Bar and work with solicitors on fair briefing are among the priorities outlined last night by the new chair of the Bar Council.
The new Mazur? ‘Solicitor agent’ does not have rights of audience
A so-called solicitor’s agent did not meet the Legal Services Act 2007 requirements for rights of audience, a district judge has ruled.
Tribunal strikes out part of barrister’s claim against BSB
A barrister’s claim that hundreds of people accessed details of a complaint about her held by the Bar Standards Board has been struck out by an employment tribunal.
MoJ an international outlier with client account interest plan
Interest on Lawyers’ Client Account schemes around the world do not divert the money to general government coffers, as the Ministry of Justice is proposing, according to research.
Solicitors fined for misconduct over purchase of law firm
A woman who used a solicitor to buy a law firm while she was still a trainee, and then practised unsupervised, has been fined for misconduct.
Government will put firms “at risk” with client account interest grab
The government’s proposed raid on client account interest “will put high street law firms at risk and force legal fees to rise for those that survive”, the Law Society has warned.
Spot-fixing cricketer’s solicitor cleared of urging false defence
A solicitor who acted for a cricketer jailed for spot fixing has been cleared of an allegation that he encouraged his client to offer false evidence in his defence.
‘Double jeopardy’ warning over FCA money laundering switch
The Financial Conduct Authority taking over the supervision of anti-money laundering activity risks delay and double jeopardy, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has warned.
Ministry of Justice unveils plan to plunder client account interest
The Ministry of Justice has today unveiled plans for an Interest on Lawyers’ Client Account scheme, which would claim 75% of the interest on pooled client accounts to boost its budget.
SRA to pay solicitor £160k over “fatally flawed” prosecution
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has been ordered to pay a solicitor nearly £160,000 in costs after its prosecution of her was ruled “fatally flawed”.
Blog
When AI becomes a line on the client’s bill
On 23 June, Legora changed how it charges. The platform announced that its most capable product was moving away from a flat per-seat licence fee to consumption-based pricing
Which legal AI will still matter in 12 months?
Four years ago, when senior partners asked me which legal AI they should buy, I would have walked them through a vendor comparison. Now I tell them the question is wrong.
Supreme Court redraws line between member and employee in LLPs
For anyone advising professional services firms on LLP structuring, and of course for those in LLPs themselves, last week’s Supreme Court ruling is an essential read.
