Compliance & Regulation
Legal regulators have “key role” in improving access to justice
Innovation sandboxes, mandatory regulation of paralegals and new sources of funding – like interest on client accounts – are among ideas of how regulation can improve access to justice.
Law Society and Bar Council criticise performance of regulatory arms
Both the Law Society and Bar Council have criticised their regulatory arms over the LSB’s assessment that their performance was inadequate and needed urgent improvement.
SRA investigation into Prigozhin lawyers was “supine”
The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s investigation into the former lawyers of Russian warlord Evgeny Prigozhin was “supine”, a leading media lawyer has argued.
SRA and BSB in the dock over inadequate performance
The two largest legal regulators – the SRA and BSB – are the only ones to fail their performance assessments over the past year, the Legal Services Board revealed today.
Bellingcat founder accuses SRA of “shirking responsibility” over SLAPP
The journalist at the centre of the row over the SRA’s decision not to take action against the former solicitors of a Russian warlord has accused the regulator of shirking its responsibilities.
Narrow AML rules allow lawyers to act for “lawful but awful” clients
The narrow focus of the AML regime on criminality leaves solicitors “free to facilitate and legitimise the flow of corrupt capital while staying within the bounds of the law”, says a major report.
HMRC to report more tax lawyers to regulators in crackdown
Tax lawyers face more reports by HMRC to their regulators and the cloak of legal professional privilege being pierced under government plans unveiled yesterday.
Ex-law firm owner obtains freezing order against successor
The High Court has issued a freezing order against the non-lawyer owner of a law firm the SRA shut down last year, at the behest of the solicitor who sold it to her.
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.
Blog
When the person who needs help is the partner
A law firm can have excellent support on paper and still have a serious gap. The gap is the person who cannot imagine using it.
SRA supervision and AI: what firms will be asked to prove
AI intensifies scrutiny of whether firms can demonstrate that they were in control of the systems through which legal services were delivered.
How ELD NextGen will improve employers’ liability tracing
The Employers’ Liability Tracing Office is continuing work towards the launch of ELD NextGen, the next generation of the employers’ liability database, in early 2027.
Reports
Associates
