Compliance & Regulation
Immigration firm wins appeal against licence removal
An immigration firm fell below its expected standards “in a number of respects” but this did not justify the decision to withdraw its licence to operate, a tribunal has ruled.
Carter-Ruck ruling leaves SRA “toothless”, campaigners warn
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has been left as “little more than a paper tiger” by yesterday’s High Court ruling on privileged material, it has been claimed.
Ban for paralegal who made violent threats to ex-partner
A paralegal jailed after bombarding his ex-partner with threats, including claims he would “destroy” her life, has been banned from the legal profession.
High Court: SRA does not have power to view privileged material
The SRA does not have the right to require the production of privileged documents from law firms without a waiver from the client, the High Court has ruled today.
Jail for barrister who conspired with client to injure attacker
The criminal defence barrister who helped a gangster trace a gunman who tried to assassinate him has been jailed for three years and three months.
Second suspension for dual-qualified lawyer who ignored conflicts
A dual-qualified solicitor and barrister has been suspended for nine months by a Bar disciplinary tribunal in the wake of a six-month suspension by the SDT.
Law Society urges “targeted risk” model for COLP/COFA reform
The Law Society has put forward a “targeted risk” model as an alternative to the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s changes to the rules around COLPs and COFAs.
FCA adds ban to SRA’s £4m fine for collapsed law firm’s owner
The Financial Conduct Authority has banned the former owner of collapsed law firm Kingly Solicitors from working in financial services.
SDT upholds ban on police station rep with harassment conviction
The SDT has upheld a decision by the SRA to ban a police station representative convicted of a harassment offence from working for law firms.
“Alarmingly incompetent” barrister suspended over closing speech
A barrister who made improper and inaccurate submissions during his closing speech in the Crown Court has been suspended for his “alarmingly incompetent” behaviour.
SRA gives SQE1 candidates extra six seconds per question
There are to be fewer questions in the SQE, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has announced – giving candidates an extra six seconds per question.
“We’re listening” insists SRA amid more questions over COLP/COFA reform
A group of conveyancers has thrown its weight behind calls for the SRA to set out the evidence justifying its changes to the COLP/COFA rules.
SRA “adding to confusion” around COLP/COFA changes
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is only adding to the confusion as it changes the rules on who can be compliance officers, its former head of legal has said.
Solicitor fined £20k but avoids SDT for multiple rule breaches
A solicitor responsible for multiple rule breaches – including a shortage in client account – has been fined £20,150 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
FCA to start taking on AML oversight from 2028
The Financial Conduct Authority expects to start overseeing the anti-money laundering efforts of some lawyers “before the end of 2028”, the government has said.
Blog
The AI governance gap in law firms and why it matters now
A third of law firms are already using AI tools with no formal policy in place to govern how AI gets used, what data goes into it, or who’s accountable when something goes wrong.
Information isn’t oversight – lessons from the PM Law review
The PM Law review’s real findings perhaps point to a failure mode applying to any organisation sitting on scattered risk information.
AI can do the work but it cannot inherit the lawyer’s duty
What happens when lawyers delegate cognitive work to AI but remain personally responsible for judgements they may no longer have independently reasoned through?
Reports
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