Compliance & Regulation
Exclusive: SSB clients “uncertain” about insurer’s assignment offer
Former clients of the collapsed SSB Group are “confused and uncertain” about an insurer’s offer to stop pursuing them for costs if they assign their claims against the law firm.
Dentons’ breach of AML rules was “inadvertent”
A breach of the anti-money laundering rules by Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, was “inadvertent” and did not amount to professional misconduct, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has ruled.
Employee diverted client’s stamp duty refund to herself
A law firm employee who diverted a client’s stamp duty refund to herself – via an unwitting friend’s bank account – has been barred from the profession.
SRA lays out scale of Post Office investigations
The Solicitors Regulation Authority revealed yesterday that it has more than 20 live investigations into solicitors and law firms involved in the Post Office scandal.
Ban for office manager who used client money to prop up firm
The SRA has imposed a control order on a law firm’s office manager who took money from client account to pay wages and “prop” up the practice.
Law firms “could switch regulator” to evade financial mis-selling fee cap
Law firms have been told that moves to switch regulators to avoid fee caps being introduced for handling financial services mis-selling claims will be closely monitored.
Employment can offer barristers more ethical protection
Being employed by companies or law firms can give barristers more protection when faced with ethical challenges than those in private practice, it has been suggested.
SRA issues M&A warning to law firm buyers and sellers
Solicitors have been warned by their regulator about undertaking adequate due diligence on mergers and acquisitions and putting client interests first when striking the deal.
Law firm fined for allowing COFA to steal £157,000
A law firm whose compliance officer for finance and administration stole £157,000 has been fined for not having proper systems governing payments from client account.
Solicitor rebuked for leaving client unrepresented at hearing
A solicitor who withdrew from a Family Court hearing over a fee dispute so late that he left his client no chance to find a replacement has been rebuked by the SRA.
Suspension for senior partner who had sex in the office
A male senior partner found guilty of multiple instances of sexual misconduct in the office with junior female staff – including having sex with one on a desk – has been suspended for two years.
Lawyers and law firms “need to talk much more about integrity”
Lawyers and law firms should be “actively” reflecting on and talking about integrity “much more” than they currently do or appear to do, a leading legal academic has argued.
FSCS wrongly tells law firm clients their solicitors are unauthorised
The Financial Services Compensation Scheme has admitted writing to law firm clients and wrongly informing them that their solicitors were no longer authorised.
High Court judge “compromised integrity” with CA application
A High Court judge has been given a formal warning after it emerged that he had seen an independent assessment written for his application to join the Court of Appeal.
Second solicitor to face tribunal over “threatening” vaccine letters
A solicitor accused of baselessly threatening legal proceedings over the Covid vaccine is to face the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Blog
How you respond to mistakes matters more than the mistakes themselves
Mistakes in legal practice are inevitable. What truly differentiates well-run firms from those that stumble is not whether mistakes occur, but how they are handled when they do.
Litigation finance is not one product. It’s a strategy
Across the consumer claims market, litigation finance has developed into a broader set of funding options that can support different stages of a case.
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.
