Compliance & Regulation
Junior solicitor avoids strike-off after deleting part of handover note
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has decided against striking off a junior solicitor who deleted part of a colleague’s handover note to cover up his failure to do what it said.
Professional ethics network to push for “cultural step-change”
A professional ethics network is to be launched in a bid to achieve the “cultural step-change” required to improve standards among lawyers.
Solicitor billed 28 hours a day to maximise bonus
A senior solicitor who recorded an average of 28 hours of work a day over a period of 12 months in a bid to maximise her bonus has been struck off.
FCA goes public with claims company investigation after court battle
The Financial Conduct Authority is investigating The Claims Protection Agency Ltd over its motor finance work, it has emerged after a High Court battle over anonymity.
Slow progress in reshaping legal market, LSB admits
A legal market that achieves fairer outcomes for both the public and the profession “is far from being realised”, the Legal Services Board has declared.
Widespread opposition to FCA taking over AML supervision
Law societies on both sides of Hadrian’s Wall have set out strong opposition to government plans to transfer anti-money laundering supervision to the FCA.
Solicitor rebuked for telling trainee to backdate deed
A solicitor who instructed a trainee to backdate a deed has been rebuked by the Solicitors Regulation Authority after she admitted to an error of judgement.
Spike in scam trade mark emails using names of real solicitors
There has been a rise in “highly convincing” scam emails targeting businesses and trade mark owners that use the names of genuine solicitors, a leading law firm has warned.
Employer confidence in SQE on the rise but slumps among students
Confidence in the SQE among employers has risen over the past three years but is still not particularly strong – and declined significantly among candidates.
Compliance officer banned after lying about being in office
A compliance officer at a City law firm who pretended he was at work when he was actually working from home – and continued to lie about it – has been banned from the profession.
CLC and consumer panel back radical review of Legal Ombudsman
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers and Legal Services Consumer Panel have both backed a radical review of the Legal Ombudsman and possibly a complete redesign of the scheme.
Suspended suspension for “manifestly incompetent” solicitor
A “manifestly incompetent” solicitor who facilitated one fraudulent and three potentially fraudulent property transactions has been given a suspended suspension.
Law Society tells LeO: Focus on performance, not reform
The Law Society is urging the Legal Ombudsman not to launch a fundamental review of its rules when it should be focusing on reducing its backlog of cases.
Compliance officers have “poor” knowledge of obligations
Law firm compliance officers have “poor” knowledge of the SRA reporting and record-keeping requirements, according to research by the regulator.
Managing partner “did not instigate” drunken kiss with paralegal
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has rejected an allegation that a managing partner instigated a non-consensual drunken kiss with a much younger paralegal.
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.
