Compliance & Regulation
SRA shuts down nine-partner firm over solicitor’s suspected dishonesty
The Solicitors Regulation Authority yesterday shut down two law firms – including a nine-partner practice in Yorkshire – due to the suspected dishonesty of a solicitor.
Law firm owner rebuked for work of non-solicitor caseworker
A law firm owner has been rebuked after the Upper Tribunal declared an application for judicial review made by an immigration caseworker at his firm as totally without merit.
Solicitor who employed banned will writer is suspended
A solicitor who employed a will writer banned by the Solicitors Regulation Authority from working for law firms without its permission has been suspended for a month.
SRA rebukes Scottish firm over management of client money
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has issued a rebuke to a Scottish law firm for breaches of the accounts rules since taking over the work of collapsed McClure Solicitors.
MoJ warned about impact of diverting law firms’ client account interest
Legal aid firms will be the first to suffer if the Ministry of Justice presses ahead with the idea of using interest on lawyers’ client accounts to fund free legal services, it has been told.
Police office turned barrister disbarred for rape convictions
A barrister has been disbarred for raping a woman, when she was a teenager under 16 and when she was older, while he was a policeman in the 1980s.
Ban for office manager who took nearly £550,000 from firm
A part-time office manager who misappropriated nearly £550,000 from a law firm has been banned from working in the profession.
Two solicitors rebuked for taking client information when leaving firms
Two solicitors who took confidential client information from their former employers have been rebuked by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Gender-critical barrister praises BSB approach to ‘meritless’ complaints
A leading ‘gender critical’ barrister has praised the Bar Standards Board for the way it handles “meritless” complaints after rejecting two made against her.
Consultant-led law firms “pose greater money laundering risk”
The decentralised nature of consultant-led law firms carries extra money laundering risks that mean compliance officers may need to be “more interventionist”, the SRA has cautioned.
SRA to consult on strengthening continuing competence regime
The SRA is to consult on strengthening continuing competence requirements as it was not clear whether solicitors are reflecting properly on their practices.
“Too soon” for struck-off solicitor to apply for return to roll
A struck-off solicitor who has not paid the Solicitors Regulation Authority nearly £65,000 in outstanding costs from his disciplinary hearing cannot return to the roll.
Panel backs making law firms tell clients how to complain at end of cases
The Legal Services Consumer Panel has come out strongly in favour of law firms telling clients how to complain at the end of a matter as well as the beginning.
Solicitor settled employment claim without asking client
A solicitor with mental health issues who settled an employment tribunal claim without consulting her client has been struck off.
War of words between trainee and ex-Attorney General over SQE
Former Attorney General Suella Braverman KC has entered into a war of words with a trainee solicitor over a petition calling for reform of the SQE.
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
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