Compliance & Regulation
SRA warns over “emerging” money laundering risks for law firms
Acting for cash-intensive high street businesses and relying on existing due diligence are “emerging” risks in the fight against money laundering, the SRA has warned.
Strike-off for conveyancer who repeatedly lied to client
A veteran solicitor who repeatedly lied to a client, giving her false assurances over a period of two years about the registration of her property, has been struck off.
Male solicitor struck off for explicit messages to female barrister
A veteran male solicitor who sent a stream of “sexually charged” messages to a female barrister his firm was instructing, even after she told him to stop, has been struck off.
New model complaints procedure “does not guarantee compliance”
The Legal Ombudsman has warned lawyers that using its new model complaints resolution procedure is not “a proxy” for regulatory compliance.
In-house lawyers should “train PR staff on risks of greenwashing”
In-house lawyers should train their company’s marketing and communications teams on the risks of ‘greenwashing’, the Law Society has advised in new guidance.
In-house solicitor struck off for sexually assaulting colleague
A veteran solicitor who continues to dispute his conviction for sexual assault has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
ICO raids mark latest stage in motor finance claims crackdown
The ICO has executed search warrants across the UK as part of investigations into companies sending millions of text messages about motor finance claims.
Solicitor rebuked for continuing to act when clients were in dispute
A solicitor who continued to act for both executors of an estate after a dispute arose between them has been rebuked by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Just desserts for incompetent and dishonest solicitor who misled SRA
A solicitor who misled his regulator during an investigation into his “manifestly incompetent conduct” has been struck off.
Solicitor fails in appeal against conviction for ‘tipping off’ client
The first solicitor prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Office for ‘tipping off’ a client about a money laundering investigation has failed in his appeal against conviction.
Big spike in conveyancing complaints to Legal Ombudsman
The Legal Ombudsman has reported a 41% increase in the number of complaints about conveyancing, driven by delays, poor communication and post-completion problems.
Mazur review: Regulators seek to move on but LSB criticised
Legal regulators have accepted the Legal Services Board’s finding that they missed opportunities to address the issues that came to a head in the Mazur case.
LSB catalogues missed opportunities to avoid Mazur
Legal regulators missed opportunities over the years to “clarify and address” the issues that came to a head in the Mazur case, the Legal Services Board said yesterday.
Ban for prospective trainee who faked client’s signature
A prospective trainee solicitor who forged a client’s signature on a document sent to the Home Office and faked an email to mislead her firm has been barred from the profession.
Profession to pay out £39m to Axiom Ince clients
The collapse of Axiom Ince is set to cost the solicitors’ profession £39m in payouts from the SRA Compensation Fund, most of which have now been made, it has emerged.
Blog
The AI governance gap in law firms and why it matters now
A third of law firms are already using AI tools with no formal policy in place to govern how AI gets used, what data goes into it, or who’s accountable when something goes wrong.
Information isn’t oversight – lessons from the PM Law review
The PM Law review’s real findings perhaps point to a failure mode applying to any organisation sitting on scattered risk information.
AI can do the work but it cannot inherit the lawyer’s duty
What happens when lawyers delegate cognitive work to AI but remain personally responsible for judgements they may no longer have independently reasoned through?
Reports
Associates
