Compliance & Regulation
Legal Services Board reverses plan to reduce budget
The Legal Services Board has reversed its plan to reduce its budget and instead approved a small increase, amounting to an extra £1.79 on every authorised lawyer’s practising fees.
SRA puts size of suspected PM Law fraud at £40m
The SRA’s investigation into PM Law “involves a sophisticated suspected fraud”, with the improper removal and misuse of £39.5m of client funds.
Judge warns PI firms of SRA referrals over damages deductions
Personal injury solicitors who jack up their base costs to ensure they always hit the 25% cap on deductions from damages risk referral to the SRA, a senior district judge has warned.
Solicitor who billed clients for work he had not done struck off
A private client lawyer who billed clients for work he had not done has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
SRA to double size of leadership team as BSB names new chief
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to double the size of the leadership team under chief executive Sarah Rapson with the creation of four new director-level posts.
Lawyers resolve most complaints themselves under LeO pilot
Lawyers testing the Legal Ombudsman’s model complaints resolution procedure resolved most of the complaints themselves, it has emerged.
BBC sting heaps pressure on immigration lawyers and SRA
A BBC undercover investigation has again thrown the spotlight on immigration lawyers, claiming that “a shadow industry of law firms and advisers” is helping migrants bring bogus asylum cases.
Government sets out conditions for ‘excepted’ NDAs
The government has proposed detailed conditions which would allow employers and workers to sign NDAs relating to harassment or discrimination in strictly limited situations.
SRA “wants conversation about who handles complaints about solicitors”
The SRA “would love to have a conversation” about whether the responsibility for handling complaints should continue to be split with the Legal Ombudsman, MPs have heard.
Solicitor who falsely recorded time to meet targets struck off
A solicitor who falsely recorded 100 hours of time to help meet her billing targets has been struck off, despite recognition of the mental health issues she was facing at the time.
Law Society trains focus on SRA for Mazur supervision guidance
The Law Society has put the focus on the SRA to give the profession guidance on what amounts to supervision following the Mazur ruling.
Keep out of employment issues, solicitors tell SRA
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has been told to leave employment issues such as bullying, harassment, discrimination and sexual misconduct to law firms and the courts.
Law firm fails in appeal against £68k fine for AML failures
A law firm run by an ex-Law Society president has failed in an appeal against a £68,000 fine imposed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for anti-money laundering failures.
Consumers may have to wait a year for LeO decision
The decision to deny the Legal Ombudsman the budget it needs could see consumers waiting more than a year for the outcome of their complaint by 2028.
Mazur: Law Society still mulling appeal as SRA reviews investigations
The Law Society has yet to decide whether to appeal last week’s Mazur ruling, while the SRA is reviewing investigations that followed the High Court ruling.
Blog
The SRA’s strict liability gamble has failed. Good
The Court of Appeal handed down its judgment in Dentons v SRA on 27 April, and the profession is right to welcome it. It is the second time in short succession that the court has corrected the SRA.
How AI presents real opportunities for barristers
AI presents real opportunities to improve access to justice and to support barristers in day-to-day legal practice. But we all need to understand and mitigate the risks.
Not everything can be a competition issue – a new dawn for consumer redress
Last month, the Law Commission launched a new project to “consider the potential introduction of a consumer class actions regime” in England and Wales.
