Compliance & Regulation
No “generalised” ethical failure among solicitors, insists Law Society
High-profile scandals like the Post Office are “not indicative of a generalised failure of ethical standards within the profession”, the Law Society has insisted.
CJC calls for “urgent” government review of SSB-style funding
The government needs to urgently investigate the type of litigation funding used by collapsed law firms like SSB Law and Pure Legal, the Civil Justice Council said yesterday.
City partner “erroneously” paid out £2.2m to developer client
A partner at DWF has been fined £14,000 for wrongly approving £2.2m in payments to a developer which later went bust, leaving the firm to recompense out-of-pocket buyers.
Solicitor who worked for three firms at same time struck off
A locum solicitor whose timesheets claimed for the same time from two different firms – while employed full-time at a third – has been struck off.
Law firms “must tell clients how to complain at end of cases”
Law firms must tell their clients how to complain at the end, as well as the beginning, of their cases, under new rules proposed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
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.
Blog
Small steps, big impact: how SME law firms are making legal tech work
For SME law firms, the priority is turning the potential of tech into measurable impact: success is driven not just by the technology, but by how firms approach planning and implementation.
Why housing disrepair claims against councils have leapt by nearly 400%
Housing disrepair claims against councils have surged dramatically in recent years, with some areas reporting increases approaching a staggering 400%.
Client accounts: Opportunity, obligation and the risks in between
The profitability gap between well-run firms and the rest is not primarily a function of size, location or practice area – it is a function of financial management.
