Compliance & Regulation
‘Double jeopardy’ warning over FCA money laundering switch
The Financial Conduct Authority taking over the supervision of anti-money laundering activity risks delay and double jeopardy, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has warned.
Ministry of Justice unveils plan to plunder client account interest
The Ministry of Justice has today unveiled plans for an Interest on Lawyers’ Client Account scheme, which would claim 75% of the interest on pooled client accounts to boost its budget.
SRA to pay solicitor £160k over “fatally flawed” prosecution
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has been ordered to pay a solicitor nearly £160,000 in costs after its prosecution of her was ruled “fatally flawed”.
Advertising watchdog targets motor CMCs in latest crackdown
The Advertising Standards Authority has banned misleading adverts aimed at victims of car accidents as part of a new crackdown on claims management companies.
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.
Blog
What LeO’s data tells us about client service in personal injury
With court backlogs, insurer delays and increasingly complex cases, maintaining client care in personal injury work can be difficult, but the data suggests the industry is falling short.
Your landlord clients have prepared for the wrong law
Lawyers advising major landlords and build-to-rent operators have spent the better part of a year on the Renters’ Rights Act. A good deal of that advice has been aimed at the wrong risk.
Your website is losing clients before they even pick up the phone
Your website visitor is likely already carrying stress before they arrive. If your site adds to it rather than relieves it, you have likely lost a prospective client.
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