Compliance & Regulation
HOFA banned for concealing firm’s dire finances from SRA
The HOFA of a consumer claims firm that went bust in 2023 concealed its financial difficulties from the SRA in the run-up to its collapse.
SDT: Solicitor gave undertaking even if he did not call it one
An assurance given by a solicitor in a conveyancing transaction was an undertaking, even if he did not use the word, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has ruled.
£86m of client money went through in-house solicitor’s personal account
An elderly in-house solicitor who handled reserved legal work without authorisation, and used his personal bank account to process £86m of client money, has agreed to leave the profession.
SRA: Law firm’s work for warlord was not improper
The SRA yesterday took the unusual step of setting out why it cleared the law firm which acted for Yevgeniy Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group, of misconduct.
Law firm avoids tribunal referral over PEP due diligence failures
A law firm that failed to conduct proper anti-money laundering checks while acting for a politically exposed person has been fined £25,000.
Tribunal clears Daily Mail sting solicitor of misconduct
One of the solicitors accused by the Daily Mail of offering to help an undercover reporter concoct a false asylum claim has been cleared of misconduct.
In-house solicitor fined for offensive nicknames and emails
A senior in-house solicitor who coined offensive nicknames for colleagues and sent sweary emails has been fined £15,000 by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Legal threat to US firm in London over “u-turn on helping trans man”
The Good Law Project is threatening US law firm Morrison Foerster with legal action over its London office “reneging” on an agreement to represent a trans man.
SRA used “prejudicial hearsay evidence” in failed prosecution
The SRA relied on complaints by anonymous people and “a significant amount of prejudicial hearsay evidence” to support a failed prosecution against two high-profile solicitors.
City giant fined £465k for sanctions breach by Russian arm
The Russian arm of top City firm Herbert Smith Freehills has been fined £465,000 for breaching UK financial sanctions imposed on Russia.
Sidhu disbarred and attacked for “abusing power to perpetrate abuse”
The case of Jo Sidhu KC – who was disbarred yesterday – “exposes the failure of the current systems to effectively prevent sexual misconduct at the Bar”, Harriet Harman KC said yesterday.
Beringer: No rules force law firms to take on questionable clients
There are no rules that require law firms to take on clients outside of criminal work and so they need to be willing to justify their choices publicly, the former senior partner of Allen & Overy said this week.
Anti-corruption champion calls for offence targeting lawyer enablers
The Prime Minister’s anti-corruption champion last night called for a new criminal offence that would see lawyers prosecuted for failing to prevent money laundering and economic crime.
City solicitor suspended from practice for stalking conviction
A City solicitor found guilty of a low-level offence of stalking his ex-girlfriend has been suspended from the profession for six months.
Complaining to the SRA? Don’t expect a quick reply
Members of the public and firms reporting concerns to the SRA will have to wait up to two months for a response, twice the time it was at the start of the year.
Blog
AI risk: What law firms must now demand from vendors
AI systems ingest, transform, infer and generate. Treating them as equivalent to document storage or workflow tools is a category error.
Why mid-sized firms are the most interesting story in UK legal right now
Mid-sized law firms are facing a set of decisions about structure, technology and growth that will define where they sit in the market for the next decade.
Don’t be fooled by the civil court statistics
The latest civil justice figures look deceptively upbeat, with faster claims. But these numbers mask a deeper truth: people are still waiting more than a year for justice.
Reports
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