Compliance & Regulation
Unregulated divorce service poised to launch law firm
Divorce and separation service amicable – which markets itself as an alternative to solicitors – is to enter regulation for the first time by setting up its own law firm.
Law firm directors struck off for misusing client account money
Two directors of a City law firm have been struck off for acting dishonestly in making an unauthorised payment from client account of almost £95,000 to a third party.
SRA and FCA “need statutory powers” to view privileged material
The government needs to give both the SRA and FCA explicit powers to see privileged material when investigating lawyers, an anti-corruption charity has said.
Rebuke for solicitor “who relied on memory, not records”
A law firm owner who acted “based on her recollections as opposed to checking facts” has been rebuked after letting administration of an estate drift for six years.
Consumer panel admits error but row with CLC goes on
The Legal Services Consumer Panel has accepted part of the criticism made by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers of a recent report – but not gone as far as demanded.
SRA and Law Society to collect £224m from solicitors
The Law Society and SRA are set to collect a total of £224m in fees from solicitors for the next practising year, £50m more than the current year.
Strike-off for solicitor who exploited vulnerable investors
A solicitor who “exploited and misled” the Zimbabwean women she claimed to be empowering has been struck off.
APIL calls for flexibility on ethics discussions
The SRA should not impose an “overly burdensome and arbitrary” annual requirement on law firms to hold three-hour ethics discussions for their solicitors, says APIL.
Suspension for solicitor who let work as deputy drift for 16 years
A solicitor who acted as a deputy for 16 years and did little to protect her client’s interests in that time has been suspended from practice for six months.
SDT clears conveyancer of taking instructions from client’s son
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has cleared a conveyancer of taking instructions from a client’s son and of manifest incompetence in a property transaction.
SRA warns over “emerging” money laundering risks for law firms
Acting for cash-intensive high street businesses and relying on existing due diligence are “emerging” risks in the fight against money laundering, the SRA has warned.
Strike-off for conveyancer who repeatedly lied to client
A veteran solicitor who repeatedly lied to a client, giving her false assurances over a period of two years about the registration of her property, has been struck off.
Male solicitor struck off for explicit messages to female barrister
A veteran male solicitor who sent a stream of “sexually charged” messages to a female barrister his firm was instructing, even after she told him to stop, has been struck off.
New model complaints procedure “does not guarantee compliance”
The Legal Ombudsman has warned lawyers that using its new model complaints resolution procedure is not “a proxy” for regulatory compliance.
In-house lawyers should “train PR staff on risks of greenwashing”
In-house lawyers should train their company’s marketing and communications teams on the risks of ‘greenwashing’, the Law Society has advised in new guidance.
Blog
Your landlord clients have prepared for the wrong law
Lawyers advising major landlords and build-to-rent operators have spent the better part of a year on the Renters’ Rights Act. A good deal of that advice has been aimed at the wrong risk.
Your website is losing clients before they even pick up the phone
Your website visitor is likely already carrying stress before they arrive. If your site adds to it rather than relieves it, you have likely lost a prospective client.
The growing importance of higher limits in personal ATE
While the personal litigation market is undergoing a period of significant change as claims become more complex, much of the ATE insurance market has remained relatively static.
Reports
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