Compliance & Regulation

The government has been urged to reconsider plans to make conveyancers register individually with HM Revenue & Customs as tax advisers because they deal with SDLT.

The head of commercial property at a law firm who certified a client’s ID documents as true and complete copies without seeing the originals has been struck off.

Lawyers have welcomed the High Court decision to overturn the finding of misconduct against Nadeem Zahawi’s lawyer – but Dan Neidle calls it surprising and concerning.

The High Court has overturned the finding of misconduct made about the solicitor for former Conservative Chancellor Nadeem Zahawi.

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.

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.

A solicitor who lied to his law firm about having cancer and forged a medical report relating to it has been struck off.

The government has told the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority of the need for “tougher, more consistent regulation of conditional fee agreements”.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has suddenly withdrawn proposed rule changes to improve how solicitors handle complaints from approval by the Legal Services Board.