Compliance & Regulation
Report: Trust in legal services high but more costs transparency needed
Most people have trust and confidence in legal services, but would like the Solicitors Regulation Authority to do more on their cost, major new research has found.
SRA: Timing of Post Office and Axiom Ince prosecutions uncertain
It is too early to say when prosecutions arising out of the Post Office scandal and Axiom Ince will occur, the chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority said yesterday.
Tribunal budget to soar amid flood of prosecutions by SRA
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal’s budget is set to soar by a quarter next year in response to a surge in cases referred by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Suspended prison sentence for unregulated immigration adviser
A man convicted of three counts of providing unregulated immigration advice and services has been handed a suspended prison sentence.
No jail for law student convicted of abusing England footballer
The law student who called England footballer Bukayo Saka a ‘monkey’ in an online rant has been handed a conditional discharge after insisting he did not intend to be racist.
Solicitor suspended from practice 12 years ago can return to roll
A solicitor suspended indefinitely in 2012 for failing to produce accounts after his law firm closed can return to the roll, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has decided.
Licensed conveyancers “looking to recruit from school”
Licensed conveyancers are targeting schools in an effort to improve recruitment and raise the profile of the profession.
MPs hear call for action against ‘no win, no fee’ lawyers after SSB collapse
MPs whose constituents have been badly affected by the collapse of SSB Law have pledged to lobby the new government to take action against lawyers and others.
Ireland allows barristers to become law firm partners
The Republic of Ireland has introduced ‘legal partnerships’, allowing barristers to be partners with solicitors in law firms for the first time and to form partnerships with other barristers.
Fine over use of law firm as partner’s in-house legal department
The two partners of a firm whose purpose is to serve the non-legal business interests of one of them have been fined for multiple rule breaches, including using client account as a banking facility.
Solicitor fined for inaccurate declaration over £1m Covid loan
A solicitor who signed an inaccurate declaration that triggered the release of a £1m Covid loan to a client, has been fined £15,000.
“Disruptive action” may be needed to improve diversity, LSB warns
Bullying and harassment is not limited to the Bar and “disruptive action” may be needed to create a “fair, healthy, diverse and inclusive legal profession”, the Legal Services Board has warned.
SRA urges voluntary disclosure of Russia sanction breaches
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has stressed the importance of voluntarily disclosing breaches of the Russia sanctions following the first fine handed out under the regime.
Partner suspended for telling junior solicitor to lie to client
A senior partner who told a newly qualified solicitor to lie in an email to a client has been suspended from practice for nine months.
ICO reprimands law firm after client data ends up on dark web
A law firm that was hacked and had sensitive client data published on the dark web has been reprimanded by the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Blog
The cost of systemic failure and childbirth injuries
Recent reports show that the NHS has paid almost £3.5bn in medical claims around childbirth injuries over the past six years.
Mazur: when regulators make simple things complicated
What the last six months have shown is that supervision cannot be treated as a background compliance obligation quietly managed somewhere in a firm’s operational processes.
How unstoppable AI is reshaping UK legal practice
At a time when most technology innovation still flows from the US and China, UK lawtech is attracting growing international attention and capital.
