Compliance & Regulation
Solicitor had clients pay fees into personal bank account
A solicitor has been struck off for telling clients to pay small sums of money into his personal account – but, very unusually, his identity has been kept secret.
Strike-off for partner who asked seller’s firm to backdate completion
A conveyancing partner who asked the seller’s solicitor if he could backdate completion by a day to save his client stamp duty land tax has been struck off.
Ex-solicitor told to repay £1m from fraud or face more years in jail
The struck-off solicitor jailed for 14 years for the Axiom Legal Financing Fund fraud has been ordered to pay back £1.1m or face a further five years in jail.
Suspension for solicitor who did not comply with SDT order
A solicitor who failed to comply with an order made by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal in 2020 has now been suspended for a year.
Three law firm staff disqualified from profession for drugs convictions
Two fee-earners at conveyancing giant ONP Solicitors have been disqualified from the profession after they were jailed for drug dealing.
Non-lawyer owner of ABS banned for operating without lawyer
The non-lawyer former owner of a law firm has been disqualified from involvement in another one after breaching the terms of its authorisation as an ABS.
SRA: Solicitors “lack confidence” over artificial intelligence
Solicitors’ lack of confidence about lawtech and AI could lead to them missing out on the opportunities – and put their clients at risk too, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has said.
City firm partner fined for unwitting role in property fraud
A property partner who failed to undertake proper anti-money laundering checks on a client involved in a “substantial fraud” has been fined £27,500.
Solicitors with civil higher rights poised to overtake criminal
The number of solicitors with civil higher rights of audience is poised to overtake criminal for the first time, Solicitors Regulation Authority figures have shown.
New Bar Council chair urges proactive coaching for all barristers
Having a coach to support wellbeing should be part of everyday practice at the Bar like having an accountant and insurance, the new chair of the Bar said last night.
KPMG to break new ground by launching ABS in America
KPMG is set to become the first of the Big Four accountancy firms to set up a regulated law firm in the US after applying for a licence in the state that allows non-lawyer owners.
Regulators accused of doing “nothing” to improve client-care letters
It is “an indictment” on all the legal regulators that “nothing substantial” has been done to tackle the problem of “complex and difficult to read” client-care letters.
Paralegal disqualified for attendance notes of calls he didn’t make
A paralegal who did not make the dozens of phone calls he recorded in attendance notes has been disqualified. He also reallocated his files to colleagues without telling them.
Suspended suspension for solicitor who fabricated email
A solicitor who dishonestly created and backdated a letter to the landlord of a vulnerable client has been handed a 12-month suspension, suspended for 24 months.
SRA imposes control order on CILEX lawyer who misled lender client
A CILEX lawyer who misled her lender client so as to complete a residential property transaction has been made subject to a control order by the SRA.
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.
