Compliance & Regulation
High Court overturns Zahawi solicitor misconduct finding
The High Court has overturned the finding of misconduct made about the solicitor for former Conservative Chancellor Nadeem Zahawi.
Ex-cabinet minister named Bar’s first Commissioner for Conduct
Former Conservative cabinet minister Dame Maria Miller – who used to chair Parliament’s women and equalities committee – has been named the Bar’s first ever Commissioner for Conduct.
No plans to review regulation of estate planning, says minister
The government has no plans to review the regulation of estate planning and trust-selling practices in the wake of the collapse of Anglo-Scottish law firm McClure, a justice minister has said.
Solicitor who lied to his law firm about having cancer is struck off
A solicitor who lied to his law firm about having cancer and forged a medical report relating to it has been struck off.
Justice minister urges regulators to toughen up on CFAs
The government has told the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority of the need for “tougher, more consistent regulation of conditional fee agreements”.
Court orders LeO to reconsider decision due to missed evidence
The Legal Ombudsman has been ordered to reconsider part of its findings of poor service by a direct access barrister after it overlooked a key piece of evidence.
Mazur: Local government lawyers eye legislative change
The Lawyers in Local Government group is to seek “legislative clarification and reform” in response to the Mazur ruling, instead of intervening in the Court of Appeal
Lay prosecutors for train company “not a Mazur-style breach”
A judge has rejected a Mazur-inspired attempt to throw out charges against a serial rail fare dodger on the basis that they were brought by lay prosecutors for the train company.
Tribunal fines solicitor for source of funds and lender failures
A solicitor has been fined £7,500 for failing to carry out source of funds checks and keep lenders properly updated about where purchase money was coming from.
Paralegal to appeal after SDT refused adjournment for representation
A paralegal denied an adjournment by the SDT so she could be legally represented – even though the SRA backed one – is to appeal the ban that followed the hearing.
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.
Blog
Fixed recoverable costs: Sacrificing justice for predictability?
The extended fixed recoverable costs regime is failing to achieve its stated objectives. Instead of promoting fairness and efficiency, the rules are creating anomalies that undermine justice.
Expectations keep rising, so prioritise client experience
Law firms are facing growing pressure to place greater focus on client experience or risk falling behind in an increasingly competitive legal market.
Want sustainable growth? Look to operational excellence
Many firms are being forced to reassess where growth will come from. Increasingly, the answer lies in operational excellence: creating capacity from existing teams.
