Compliance & Regulation
Ex-solicitor struck off for bribes fails in bid to return to profession
A former solicitor struck off after being jailed for five years for perverting the course of justice has failed in his attempt to return to the profession.
MPs: Case to review Legal Services Act “growing stronger and stronger”
The case for re-examining the regulatory framework created by the Legal Services Act 2007 is “growing stronger and stronger”, MPs have told the government.
Miller: Who lawyers decide to act for is not a regulatory issue
Who lawyers choose to act for is not a regulatory issue – and the Solicitors Regulation Authority needs to be clear on this, a leading legal regulatory specialist said yesterday.
Prove you will practise here, BSB to tell transferring overseas lawyers
The Bar Standards Board could ask foreign lawyers seeking to be called in England and Wales to prove they intend to practise here, it has emerged.
SRA sets out plans to regulate CILEX paralegals and students
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has outlined its plans to regulate the thousands of Chartered Institute of Legal Executives members who are paralegals and students.
Newly qualified solicitor struck off for false time recording
A newly qualified solicitor who “falsely recorded time across a number of files” to show his law firm that he was meeting his billing target has been struck off.
Lady Chief Justice speaks out in support of cab-rank rule
The Lady Chief Justice yesterday spoke out in support of the cab-rank rule, arguing that without it “law and justice become an arbitrary concept”.
Strike-off for solicitor who lied to SRA about firm’s closure
A solicitor who lied to the Solicitors Regulation Authority after failing to renew his firm’s professional indemnity insurance has been struck off.
Short suspension for junior solicitor who groped colleague
A male solicitor who groped and propositioned a female colleague at his firm’s Christmas party has been suspended for three months.
Money laundering solicitor finally pays off confiscation order
A struck-off solicitor and money launderer has finally satisfied the £716,719 confiscation order made against him in 2017, after facing a return to jail.
Don’t put up a barrier with your business, in-house lawyers told
In-house lawyers should not think they are special because of their wider duties to the court as this risks alienating them from their business colleagues, it was claimed yesterday.
Community order for disbarred barrister over antisemitic blog posts
A former barrister who was disbarred for antisemitic and racist tweets has now been handed a nine-month community order for grossly offensive antisemitic material posted on his blog.
Hefty AML fine for firm that facilitated vendor fraud
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has handed out three more hefty fines for anti-money laundering failures, one for a firm that facilitated a vendor fraud as a result.
Solicitor jailed after falling for scam loses appeal against sentence
The former senior partner of a Norfolk law firm, jailed for four years for fraud, has failed in his appeal against sentence, with the court saying it was, if anything, “lenient”.
High Court rejects immigration solicitor’s “meritless” strike-off appeal
An immigration solicitor secretly recorded by the BBC advising how to obtain “fraudulent” evidence for a visa application has failed in his appeal against being struck off.
Blog
Listening, learning and leading The Solicitor’s Charity with care
As I prepare to hand over the mantle of chair of The Solicitor’s Charity next month, it doesn’t feel like an end. Instead, it feels like a wonderful journey.
Is competition in the legal sector stifling innovation?
As the legal sector’s competitive landscape continues to evolve, Nobel laureates remind us that innovation is not inevitable,and that competition may not always be an incentive to innovate.
What high-performing consumer claims firms get right
Recurring concerns about parts of the volume claims sector show that the gap between well-run firms and those struggling to manage volume effectively is widening.
