Compliance & Regulation
High public confidence in barristers falters among ethnic minorities
Public confidence in barristers is high, but lower among those from minority backgrounds, especially when it comes to perceptions of whether they treat everyone fairly.
SRA “unlikely to take action” on solicitors who refuse fossil fuel work
It is “unlikely” that the SRA would take regulatory action against a solicitor who refuses to work on fossil fuel matters for reasons of conscience, counsel’s opinion has declared.
“Manifestly incompetent” solicitor struck off over billing and accounts
A “manifestly incompetent” law firm owner who made false claims to the Legal Aid Agency and kept her firm’s accounts in a state of chaos has been struck off.
High Court overturns SRA’s decision to intervene in law firm
The High Court has taken the almost unprecedented step of withdrawing a notice of intervention into a law firm issued by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
SRA heads must roll over Axiom Ince, says ex-board member
A former member of the board of the Solicitors Regulation Authority has called for its chair and/or chief executive to resign in the wake of the Axiom Ince report.
Ethical clashes can cause young lawyers health problems
Having a professional identity as a young lawyer that does not align with the values of your law firm could turn “wellbeing issues into serious health problems”, a leading legal academic has warned.
Accountants more than double size of ABS by buying law firm
A private equity-backed accountancy business has made good on its promise to grow its law firm through acquisition by buying a London practice more than twice its size.
Tribunal rejects dyslexia explanation for barrister’s misleading CV
The tribunal that disbarred a barrister who lied on his CV rejected his explanation that these were mistakes that arose from his dyslexia, it has emerged.
In-house solicitors pressured to misuse privilege
In-house solicitors have been pressured to misuse legal professional privilege as a way to suppress the proper disclosure of information, the SRA has said.
SRA “needs more fining powers” to tackle lawyers behind SLAPPs
The Solicitors Regulation Authority needs greater fining powers to sanction solicitors involved in SLAPPs, the House of Commons was told yesterday.
Barrister who breached suspension “not fit to be in the profession”
The High Court has upheld a decision to disbar a barrister who continued to hold himself out as one while suspended from practice.
Consumers willing to pay a little extra for law firms to use TPMAs
Consumers are more comfortable with the idea of their money being held in third-party managed accounts than solicitors’ client accounts, research has suggested.
SDT removes conditions on “redeemed” solicitor’s practice
A solicitor prevented from being a law firm owner, partner or compliance officer for the last seven years has successfully applied to have the conditions on her practising certificate removed.
LSB’s economic crime guidance may foster inconsistent approaches
Proposed new guidance on how the legal regulators should meet their new statutory duty to deal with economic crime could lead to inconsistencies of approach.
Lack of sanction for costs draftsman shows “hole in regulation”
A judge’s comments on the lack of recourse against an unregulated costs draftsman should focus minds on this hole in legal regulation, the Association of Costs Lawyers has argued.
Blog
The best legal AI doesn’t replace rules-based engines – it completes them
There is a belief circulating in legal tech that AI can solve everything – that LLMs are universally superior to what came before. It is not always true, however.
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%.
