Compliance & Regulation
Solicitor struck off after clients paid fees into personal bank account
A solicitor who asked clients at two different firms to pay fees into his personal bank account because he was in financial difficulties has been struck off.
EDI initiatives not “shifting the law’s systemic inequalities”
There are multiple factors behind the failure of equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives to “shift the systemic inequalities that are entrenched” across the legal profession.
Proportion of women “ultimately decreases” in journey to judiciary
The proportion of women lawyers “fluctuates but ultimately decreases” on the pipeline from qualifying to becoming judges, a report for the Legal Services Board has found.
Regulators “must warn lawyers against taking advantage of LiPs”
Legal regulators must warn lawyers that they will face action to stop them unethically taking advantage of vulnerable litigants, a charity has urged.
London office of top US firm to face tribunal over alleged AML failures
The London office of a leading US law firm is to face the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal over alleged failures of its anti-money laundering controls lasting several years.
SRA imposes controls on firm employee who assaulted colleagues
A former law firm employee convicted of two assaults on colleagues in a nightclub after a work dinner has been given a conditional ban from the profession.
Barristers should have duty to “actively promote anti-discrimination”
Barristers should be under a professional duty to actively promote anti-discriminatory attitudes and behaviours, it has been suggested. But this was not about requiring barristers to be ‘woke’.
Two solicitors fined for refusing to give breath samples
Two solicitors convicted of failing to provide a specimen of breath for analysis after minor car accidents have been fined by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Third US state set to allow alternative business structures
The slow creep of ABSs into the US is set to take a significant step forward next month when plans for a pilot are put to the supreme court of Washington state.
Formal warning for coroner overheard bad-mouthing barrister
An assistant coroner overheard describing a barrister’s submission as “bollocks” and a judge who took 16 months to produce a ruling have been disciplined for misconduct.
Charging law firms £250 “makes volume FOS claims unmanageable”
Charging law firms fees of £250 per case to bring complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service could make volume complaints “unmanageable”, the Law Society has warned.
Property firm fined £22k for money laundering failures
A property law firm in Manchester has been handed a fine of nearly £22,000 for failures in anti-money laundering procedures, towards the top end of the SRA’s powers.
Partner suspended for sexual misconduct at firm retreat
A former board-level partner at a well-known law firm has been suspended for nine months for making inappropriate sexual advances to a colleague at a partners’ away weekend.
Judge warned over misconduct in own divorce proceedings
A deputy district judge has received a formal warning for misconduct over how he presented his financial situation in divorce proceedings.
Solicitor struck off over missing money that has cost profession £3.8m
A solicitor who has cost the profession more than £3.8m in payments from the SRA Compensation Fund to replace money that was taken from property clients has been struck off.
Blog
Why brilliant lawyers sometimes fail
A question that often strikes a chord with partners in law firms is this: why is it that individuals who excel in one role sometimes struggle when promoted into another?
What LeO’s data tells us about client service in personal injury
With court backlogs, insurer delays and increasingly complex cases, maintaining client care in personal injury work can be difficult, but the data suggests the industry is falling short.
Your landlord clients have prepared for the wrong law
Lawyers advising major landlords and build-to-rent operators have spent the better part of a year on the Renters’ Rights Act. A good deal of that advice has been aimed at the wrong risk.
Reports
Associates
