Compliance & Regulation
Solicitor jailed for using drug money to pay mortgage struck off
A solicitor jailed for 26 months last year for using drug money generated by his twin brother to pay a mortgage has been struck off.
Mazur appeal lawyer sets out Court of Appeal battleground
The Court of Appeal hearing the Mazur case will have to decide between statutory interpretation and “the contextual argument”, the solicitor bringing the appeal said last week.
SRA hands out £550k in AML fines in three months
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has levied fines totalling £550,000 in the past three months on law firms that breached basic anti-money laundering rules.
Highest-earning barristers set to pay more to practise
The Bar Council and Bar Standards Board are looking to increase the cost of practising for barristers by 4% in the coming year, with a new band for those earning £2m.
Reports to BSB about barrister conduct jump by 24%
There has been a 24% spike in reports about barristers to their regulator this year, according to new figures from the Bar Standards Board.
LSB sets out new approach to improving equality and diversity
Safeguarding the wellbeing of those facing enforcement action should be part of legal regulators’ duty to support equality and diversity, the Legal Services Board said yesterday.
Consolidation laid bare as number of law firms falls below 9,000
The number of law firms in England and Wales has dipped below 9,000 for the first time in recent memory after dropping by nearly 2,000 over the past 15 years.
Law Society calls for urgent SRA advice on impact of Mazur on AI
The SRA needs to provide urgent advice on how artificial intelligence can be used in litigation in compliance with the Mazur ruling, the Law Society has said.
Court of Appeal agrees to hear “important” Mazur appeal
The Court of Appeal has granted CILEX permission to appeal against the Mazur judgment, saying it “raises an important point of practice”.
LSCP: “Regulatory failure” behind Mazur demands systemic review
The “chaos” caused by the Mazur ruling demands “a courageous, full-scale review of the regulatory framework” in response, the chair of the Legal Services Consumer Panel has argued.
Solicitor struck off 16 years ago fails in bid to return to roll
A solicitor struck off 16 years ago for multiple breaches of the accounts rules, several of them dishonest, has failed in his bid to return to the roll.
Tribunal rejects solicitor’s bid to overturn rebuke
A solicitor has failed in her appeal against a rebuke imposed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) for failing to comply with court costs orders.
More clarity needed on source of funds checks, says SRA
Law firms need greater clarity on when and how source of funds and wealth checks should be carried out, a review by the Solicitors Regulation Authority has found.
CLC launches accelerated ‘experience’ route to qualification
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has launched an accelerated route to qualification for fee-earners who have been working for at least four years in conveyancing or probate.
Regulatory reform “will help legal sector” enter next growth phase
The legal sector of the future “may look very different to the one we know today”, with further regulatory reform needed, a report for the Ministry of Justice has said.
Blog
Beyond the PII premium – rethinking risk
Professional indemnity insurance renewal is often treated as an annual pricing exercise. But it is also a chance to show how effectively you identify, manage and mitigate risk.
The AI governance gap in law firms and why it matters now
A third of law firms are already using AI tools with no formal policy in place to govern how AI gets used, what data goes into it, or who’s accountable when something goes wrong.
Information isn’t oversight – lessons from the PM Law review
The PM Law review’s real findings perhaps point to a failure mode applying to any organisation sitting on scattered risk information.
Reports
Associates
