Compliance & Regulation
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.
SRA warns solicitors over ‘deepfake’ clients and vendor fraud
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has warned lawyers who rely on video calls to identify clients of the risks posed by ‘deepfake’ technology and also of rising vendor fraud.
SDT clears Dentons of anti-money laundering rule breaches
Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, was yesterday cleared by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal over alleged breaches of anti-money laundering rules.
Motor trade legal advice service launches CIC to handle litigation
An unregulated legal advice service for the motor trade has created a community interest company (CIC) so that it can provide litigation services as well.
SRA tells employers what they cannot ask in-house lawyers to do
Draft guidance for employers of in-house solicitors, which aims to establish a mutual understanding of what lawyers can and cannot do, has been published by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Post Office victim and SRA chief urge lawyers to call out colleagues
Both a sub-postmaster victim of the Post Office scandal and the chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority have urged lawyers to call out colleagues’ improper behaviour.
SRA investigates after-the-event insurance fall-out from SSB collapse
The SRA is investigating why after-the-event insurers have not paid out on policies arranged by the collapsed SSB Group and whether it shows a wider problem with ATE.
Firms reported for oppressive “pre-emptive” NDAs imposed on actors
Law firms at the heart of forcing oppressive non-disclosure agreements on actors have been reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, it emerged yesterday.
SRA issues fines exceeding £55,000 for AML compliance breaches
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has handed out more than £55,000 in fines to firms and individual lawyers for breaches of anti-money laundering requirements.
Bar Council warns regulator over plans for chambers
The Bar Council has warned the Bar Standards Board not to go too far in its oversight of chambers and said its idea of encouraging smaller sets to merge is “inappropriate”.
Management consultant to take helm of Legal Services Consumer Panel
A management consultant with significant retail and healthcare experience has been named as the new chair of the Legal Services Consumer Panel.
Rush to meet end of SDLT holiday caused solicitor to let down client
A conveyancer who forgot to put in place a declaration of trust on the ownership of a property in the rush to beat the stamp duty holiday deadline in 2021 has been rebuked.
Solicitor rebuked for making direct approaches to potential clients
A solicitor who contacted hundreds of people on a spreadsheet he was accidentally sent to ask if they wanted to bring data protection claims over the error has been rebuked.
Blog
Legal director: an alternative to partnership
Firms are increasingly acknowledging the need for alternative senior roles – positions that offer influence and recognition without the obligations of ownership.
It’s time for law firms to ask tougher questions
For years, many law firms have treated ID verification as a box-ticking exercise. Run a liveness check, match a face to a document and move on. But that is no longer good enough.
Business fatigue to AI will risk job security
Whilst we know professional learning has always been part of career paths, to hire, retain and keep talent, AI needs to be embedded as a core part of this training.
