Compliance & Regulation
Harman urges drastic action to end Bar’s “culture of impunity”
“Decisive and radical change” is needed at the Bar and the bench to reset a “culture of impunity” that allows those at the top to bully or harass others, the Harman review has concluded.
Solicitor suspended over trivial but dishonest email change
A solicitor who dishonestly made a minor amendment to an email when he forwarded it to a client – causing no harm to them or anyone else – has been suspended for a year.
Law Society plan for 10-fold rise in SGM threshold “shocking”
The group that last year requisitioned a special general meeting of the Law Society has described plans to make it much harder to do so in future as “shocking”.
AML reforms could see banks ask for details of solicitors’ clients
Proposed government changes to anti-money laundering rules around pooled client accounts could raise issues around client confidentiality and privilege, experts have warned.
Practising barrister named a tax avoidance promoter in HMRC first
A practising barrister has for the first time been added to HM Revenue & Customs’ list of tax avoidance promoters.
Public access barristers used mainly for advice, not representation
People who instruct barristers through the public access scheme are much more likely to be seeking advice than representation in court, new research has indicated.
Strike-off for solicitor who deleted and lied about email
A solicitor at a national law firm who deleted a client’s email from its document management system “to try to cover up that he had not dealt with it” has been struck off.
Two-thirds of law firms breaking residual balance rules
A leading firm of accountants says two-thirds of law firms whose books it examined for regulatory reports had broken the rules on residual balances.
“Weed out chancers” with £50 Legal Ombudsman complaint fee
The Legal Ombudsman should introduce a nominal complaint fee of £50 to “weed out those whom one might describe as ‘chancers’”, Birmingham Law Society has proposed.
Solicitor who lied to client “to buy herself time” is struck off
A solicitor who admitted lying to a client about receiving a medical report “to buy herself time” has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
SDT rejects managing partner’s bid to blame junior solicitor for errors
A managing partner has failed to convince the SDT to blame the one-year qualified solicitor he was supervising for failures on a conveyancing transaction at an undervalue.
Another failure for SRA in Daily Mail sting cases
Two of the three solicitors accused by the Daily Mail of offering to help an undercover reporter concoct a false asylum claim have now been cleared of misconduct.
Suspension for solicitor who acted on both sides of transaction
A solicitor has been suspended over a “dereliction of duty” that saw him act on both sides of the transfer of an elderly and vulnerable client’s sole residence to a neighbour for nil consideration.
Tribunal strikes out immigration adviser’s appeal over failed exam
The First-tier Tribunal has struck out an appeal by an immigration adviser against the Immigration Advice Authority after she failed an exam.
Suspended suspension for solicitor over antisemitic and offensive posts
A solicitor whose use of “emotive and antisemitic language” on social media appeared designed to cause “maximum offence” has been given a six-month suspended suspension.
Blog
Small steps, big impact: how SME law firms are making legal tech work
For SME law firms, the priority is turning the potential of tech into measurable impact: success is driven not just by the technology, but by how firms approach planning and implementation.
Why housing disrepair claims against councils have leapt by nearly 400%
Housing disrepair claims against councils have surged dramatically in recent years, with some areas reporting increases approaching a staggering 400%.
Client accounts: Opportunity, obligation and the risks in between
The profitability gap between well-run firms and the rest is not primarily a function of size, location or practice area – it is a function of financial management.
