Compliance & Regulation
Solicitor who criticised “draconian” strike-off cannot return to roll
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has refused a solicitor’s bid to be restored to the roll just three years after being struck off for dishonesty.
Legal Services Board sets out scope of Mazur review
The Legal Services Board is to probe “the scale and impact” of breaches of the right to conduct litigation in the wake of the Mazur ruling.
Consultancy for law firms and investors spins out of City practice
A specialist strategic consultancy advising lawyers, investors and regulators has spun out of a City law firm as demand for help in navigating the legal market grows.
Law firms disagree on what should be considered a complaint
Law firms are divided over what should be regarded as a complaint from clients, a survey by the Solicitors Regulation Authority has found.
Judge slashes law firm’s costs because of Mazur
A regional costs judge has described how he applied the ruling in Mazur to cut the costs awarded to a law firm in a housing possession case from £3,000 to less than £500.
Pioneering AI law firm untroubled by impact of Mazur
The Mazur ruling will have no impact on the work of the first regulated AI law firm as the technology is not conducting litigation, its founder has asserted.
SSB Law victims pile pressure on SRA over other volume claims firms
The collapse of SSB Law was not a one-off and a wider review of the SRA’s handling of volume claims firms is needed, victims of the scandal have argued.
Law firm boss struck off for using client money to pay debts
A law firm owner who used client money to shore up his firm and pay personal debts in the face of cash flow problems has been struck off.
Give facts not suspicions when whistleblowing, in-house lawyers told
In-house lawyers considering whistleblowing have been advised by the Law Society to “disclose specific information with factual content, not suspicions or unfounded allegations”.
SDT distinguishes its definition of dishonesty from the court’s
A solicitor found to have been fundamentally dishonest in a personal injury claim has been cleared of dishonesty by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Is AML move the first step towards single legal regulator?
The government’s decision to rationalise the oversight of AML supervision could be a precursor to the entirety of legal regulation, a leading practitioner has suggested.
KC: Regulators should promise no action over pre-Mazur breaches
Regulators should assure non-authorised people who may have inadvertently conducted litigation as found by Mazur that they will not face criminal prosecution or disciplinary action.
SDT removes restrictions on solicitor turned compliance consultant
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has removed restrictions on a solicitor who, after being suspended for three years, became a compliance consultant.
SRA: Client account “still on reform agenda”
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has not kicked changes to client account – and the interest solicitors earn on it – into the long grass, its chair warned solicitors yesterday.
Legal regulators unhappy at loss of AML role to FCA
Regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority for anti-money laundering will feel “very different” for law firms, the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s chief executive has predicted.
Blog
Why mid-sized firms are the most interesting story in UK legal right now
Mid-sized law firms are facing a set of decisions about structure, technology and growth that will define where they sit in the market for the next decade.
Don’t be fooled by the civil court statistics
The latest civil justice figures look deceptively upbeat, with faster claims. But these numbers mask a deeper truth: people are still waiting more than a year for justice.
SEO is changing: Are you measuring the right things?
AI means firms may see falling organic traffic and wonder if SEO is still working. The more interesting question is whether traffic is still the right measure of success.
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