Compliance & Regulation
High Court throws out solicitor’s appeal against SDT decision
The High Court has thrown out a solicitor’s appeal against a decision of the SDT because she failed to provide grounds for more than four months after filing it.
CLC rebukes Legal Services Consumer Panel for “inaccuracies”
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has issued a sharp rebuke to the Legal Services Consumer Panel for its “inaccurate representation” of the regulator last week.
More would-be lawyers turning to CILEX
The uncertainty caused by the Mazur ruling has not discouraged would-be lawyers from studying with CILEX, with new registrations up 18% this year, its chief executive has revealed.
Solicitor jailed for stealing £1.2m from clients
A solicitor who stole nearly £1.2m from clients – in part to pay his tax bill – has been jailed for nearly four years after admitting three counts of fraud by abuse of position.
SRA to shift Compensation Fund burden to individual solicitors
Individuals are set to pay 70% of the contributions to the Compensation Fund this year after a major policy shift by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Consumer panel lays out case for single legal regulator
The moment for structural reform of legal regulation “has arrived”, the Legal Services Consumer Panel says today in a call for a new single independent regulator.
SRA’s plans for compulsory ethics discussions “could cost £100m”
Plans by the SRA to introduce compulsory three-hour ethics discussions for solicitors could cost the profession £100m, Birmingham Law Society has calculated.
Milne to face SDT over stalking conviction
Controversial solicitor Andrew Milne is to face the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal following his conviction earlier this year for stalking.
Solicitor posed as police officer to get CCTV footage from Nando’s
A motoring solicitor from Cheshire has been found guilty of impersonating a police officer after trying to get CCTV footage from a Nando’s restaurant.
Solicitor jailed for money laundering now allowed to hold client money
A solicitor who returned to the profession after being jailed for four years for money laundering offences can now hold client money and act as a signatory on client account.
Using client account as banking facility lands solicitors in trouble
The former co-head of a City law firm’s yacht department and a veteran sole practitioner in Shropshire have been fined for using client accounts as a banking facility.
Legal Services Board acknowledges “failure to protect consumers”
The Legal Services Board accepts responsibility for its role in “the failure” of the regulatory system to protect consumers, its chair said yesterday.
Legal Services Board “has lost its way”, government review finds
The oversight regulator of legal services has “lost its way” in recent years and a reset is needed while work begins on a wider review of regulation, a major report has concluded.
LSB to focus on “fewer but more clearly defined priorities”
The Legal Services Board will focus “more sharply on fewer but more clearly defined priorities” in a three-year strategy to be launched later this year.
SRA outlines specific regulation for law firms using litigation funding
Law firms arranging or using third-party litigation funding for consumer claims will have to tell the SRA about it, under plans unveiled today.
Blog
Is your Google Ads budget funding your competitors’ AI visibility?
If your cost-per-click has crept up again this year, you’ve probably assumed the market simply got more expensive. That’s the wrong way to read what’s happening.
Containing the spread of unapproved AI
Nearly 60% of fee-earners admit to using unapproved tools (like free versions of ChatGPT). Yet 68% of firm leaders are confident there is zero risk of unapproved AI being used for client work.
When AI adoption goes wrong, costs add up fast
City AM recently reported that London is fighting to claim the title of ‘global capital of legal AI’. However, it’s crucial we remember that adoption alone does not create value.
