Compliance & Regulation
Were lawyers complicit in Post Office’s corporate governance failures?
A solicitor who acted for three wrongly convicted sub-postmasters has questioned whether lawyers advising the Post Office’s board were more motivated by continuing the retainers.
Accounts manager tried to remove partners from roll of solicitors
An accounts manager who tried to remove her firm’s partners from the roll of solicitors has been barred from working for law firms, as has a bookkeeper who was double-paid for nine months.
Court to consider legality of refusing to act for non-sanctioned Russian
A judge is to consider whether a firm of accountants discriminated against a company owned by a non-sanctioned Russian by refusing to take it on as a client.
Law Society would support Legal Ombudsman outsourcing
The Law Society has said it would be “inclined to support” any bid by the Legal Ombudsman to secure legislation which would allow it to outsource complaints handling.
Solicitor fined after acting for friends and family without insurance
A solicitor who was unaware that the rules had changed so that she could not handle friends and family’s conveyancing for free without insurance has been fined.
High Court rejects barrister’s bid for Lib Dems disclosure order
The High Court has rejected a barrister’s bid for an order requiring the Liberal Democrats to disclose the identities of people who made anonymous complaints about her.
SRA issues first fixed penalty fine for diversity data failure
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has handed out the first fixed penalty fine for a law firm’s failure to submit its workforce diversity data within the deadline.
Solicitor jailed for false accounting fails to overturn conviction
The Court of Appeal has rejected an appeal by a former solicitor jailed more than four years ago for false accounting at his law firm.
Judge refuses to intervene over barrister who swapped sides
The High Court has refused to intervene in a dispute over the counsel for a claimant having previously been on the record for the defendants.
High Court upholds SDT decision to clear former Law Society president
The High Court has dismissed an appeal against a decision of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal to clear former Law Society president David Greene of lying to the county court.
Partner agrees to leave profession for “recklessly” misleading firm
A former equity partner at Thompsons has agreed to remove himself from the roll after admitting he “recklessly” misled it about the intimate nature of his relationship with a colleague.
Tribunal ends solicitor’s indefinite suspension after 15 years
The SDT has permitted a solicitor it indefinitely suspended 15 years ago to return to practise after he provided “full and comprehensive evidence of training in property law”.
Gray’s Inn admits student charged in Greece over refugee work
Gray’s Inn has admitted as a student member a man who is facing a criminal prosecution in Greece over refugee rescue work he did as a volunteer in Greece.
Research: Consumers find multiplicity of legal regulators confusing
The public finds different regulators for different part of the legal profession confusing and backs the Solicitors Regulation Authority taking oversight of chartered legal executives.
LSB calls in Northern Irish law firm to assist with SRA Axiom probe
The Legal Services Board has retained a Northern Irish law firm to assist with its review of regulatory events leading up to the SRA’s intervention into Axiom Ince.
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.
