Compliance & Regulation
Property lawyers attack “punitive” AML fining regime
The “punitive” fining regime for anti-money laundering rule breaches operated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority has left lawyers feeling “fearful”.
Court quashes part of LeO’s £51,000 award against law firm
The Legal Ombudsman was wrong to find that a law firm failed to adequately assess a client’s capacity and should pay her £15,700 in compensation, the High Court has ruled.
Barristers “should tell chambers and regulator” about complaints
Barristers will be required to inform both their chambers and their regulator about the complaints they receive, under plans published yesterday by the Bar Standards Board.
LSB lays out actions for SRA to avoid another Axiom Ince
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has been given statutory directions to address the multiple failures in its oversight of Axiom Ince.
Law firm fined £120,000 for 15 years of AML failures
A Southend law firm that failed to comply with anti-money laundering rules for more than 15 years has been fined £120,000 by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Solicitor struck off for allowing use of closed firm’s client account
A solicitor who allowed his firm’s client account to facilitate a suspicious £1.1m property transaction 20 months after it had closed has been struck off.
Bar regulator drops plan for controversial new equality duty
The Bar Standards Board has ditched its controversial proposal to require barristers to “act in a way that advances equality, diversity and inclusion”.
‘TikTok’ lawyer faces money laundering charges
A high-profile Birmingham solicitor, dubbed the ‘TikTok lawyer’ for his activity on the social media network, has been charged with money laundering offences.
High Court rejects bias claim against SDT panel chair
The High Court has rejected claims of bias against the chair of a Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal panel made as part of long-running proceedings against a major City law firm.
Solicitor “used one bankruptcy to camouflage another”
A veteran solicitor who used the existence of his first bankruptcy in 1993 to “camouflage the existence” and the need to report his second in 2014 has been struck off.
Zahawi solicitor “ignored” regulatory duties with email
The solicitor for former Conservative MP Nadeem Zahawi either “ignored or dismissed his regulatory responsibilities” in trying to stop publication of an email he sent, the SDT has decided.
Ex-solicitor cited fake cases in bid to appeal strike-off
The High Court has refused to extend time for a former solicitor to appeal against being struck off in 2017 and in any event struck out the grounds for citing 25 non-existent cases.
“Not improper” for barrister to compare Israel with Nazi Germany
A barrister acted within professional boundaries in arguing that comparing Israel with Nazi Germany was not inherently antisemitic, the High Court has ruled – although his client’s tweets doing so were.
SRA hands out record £4m fine to non-lawyer owner of failed firm
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has imposed its largest-ever fine, just shy of £4m, on the former non-solicitor owner of collapsed law firm Kingly Solicitors.
High Court upholds strike-off for solicitor’s antisemitic tweets
The High Court has upheld the decision to strike off a solicitor over tweets on Israel and Palestine, saying they showed “unvarnished antisemitic racism”.
Blog
It’s time for law firms to ask tougher questions
For years, many law firms have treated ID verification as a box-ticking exercise. Run a liveness check, match a face to a document and move on. But that is no longer good enough.
Business fatigue to AI will risk job security
Whilst we know professional learning has always been part of career paths, to hire, retain and keep talent, AI needs to be embedded as a core part of this training.
On good authority? GenAI and the reputational risks to law firms
As GenAI’s influence grows, so do the risks which are already playing out in courtrooms across England and Wales, where some early adopters are setting precedents they would rather not.
