Compliance & Regulation
Formal warning for coroner overheard bad-mouthing barrister
An assistant coroner overheard describing a barrister’s submission as “bollocks” and a judge who took 16 months to produce a ruling have been disciplined for misconduct.
Charging law firms £250 “makes volume FOS claims unmanageable”
Charging law firms fees of £250 per case to bring complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service could make volume complaints “unmanageable”, the Law Society has warned.
Property firm fined £22k for money laundering failures
A property law firm in Manchester has been handed a fine of nearly £22,000 for failures in anti-money laundering procedures, towards the top end of the SRA’s powers.
Partner suspended for sexual misconduct at firm retreat
A former board-level partner at a well-known law firm has been suspended for nine months for making inappropriate sexual advances to a colleague at a partners’ away weekend.
Judge warned over misconduct in own divorce proceedings
A deputy district judge has received a formal warning for misconduct over how he presented his financial situation in divorce proceedings.
Solicitor struck off over missing money that has cost profession £3.8m
A solicitor who has cost the profession more than £3.8m in payments from the SRA Compensation Fund to replace money that was taken from property clients has been struck off.
Solicitor fined for transferring £10k of client money by error
A solicitor who mistakenly transferred £10,000 of client money to his firm’s business account – and did not realise for six months – has been fined by the SRA.
SRA to contact dozens of immigration solicitors over competence
The SRA is contacting a group of immigration and asylum solicitors whose training records did not provide “sufficient assurances” that they are maintaining their competence.
ACL set to introduce ‘costs paralegals’ to boost profession
The Association of Costs Lawyers has backed the creation of a new membership category for non-costs lawyers, with launched a further consultation on describing them as ‘costs paralegals’.
SRA hands out another big fine for AML non-compliance
A law firm in Essex is the latest to receive a hefty fine from the Solicitors Regulation Authority for not complying with anti-money laundering rules.
“Favourable” PII market expected to continue throughout 2024
The current “favourable” professional indemnity insurance market is expected to continue throughout the rest of 2024, according to a leading broker.
Conveyancers will be urged to move away from client account
Licensed conveyancers will be encouraged by their regulator to move away from the risks of client account as it becomes more practical, an industry roundtable has heard.
SRA to probe competence of family law and landlord and tenant solicitors
The SRA is to examine how family law and landlord and tenant law specialists maintain their competence amid increasing reports about their practices.
First law firm obtains specialist legal services ICO certification
A leading law firm has become the first to obtain the new legal services-specific data protection certification approved by the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Solicitor rebuked after client’s appeal not submitted
A solicitor who failed to check that a criminal client’s appeal had been lodged at the Court of Appeal has been rebuked after it turned out that it had not been.
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%.
