Compliance & Regulation
Law firm innovator takes practice forward as unregulated firm
Law firm innovator Alice Stephenson has turned her business into an unregulated practice, citing problems with HM Revenue & Customs and the costs of running a regulated law firm.
Struck-off solicitor jailed for stealing £880,000 from clients
A struck-off solicitor has been jailed for nearly six years for defrauding clients of £880,000, which he used to prop up his practice and pay off loans.
Bullying, harassment and discrimination a “systemic” problem for the Bar
Bullying, harassment and discrimination at the Bar is a “systemic” problem, the Bar Council said yesterday, with 44% of barristers saying they have experienced or witnessed it in the past two years.
Lawyers and CMCs face fee to complain to Financial Ombudsman
Lawyers and CMCs making complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service on behalf of clients will be charged for doing so in future, under plans published this week.
Transferring Pakistan and Bangladesh advocates causing BSB headache
The Bar Standards Board is setting up a taskforce to help it cope with a surge of lawyers from Pakistan and Bangladesh seeking to be called to the Bar in England and Wales.
Ban for ex-Eversheds manager over inappropriate touching
A male former senior client development manager at Eversheds Sutherland who repeatedly grabbed a female colleague at an away day has been barred from the profession.
SRA faces independent review of approach to Axiom Ince
The Legal Services Board is planning an unprecedented independent review of how the Solicitors Regulation Authority has handled the Axiom Ince scandal, MPs were told yesterday.
Rookie barrister reprimanded for lying about court applications
An inexperienced barrister feared seeking the court’s approval to deduct success fees from damages in infant settlement cases but told his employers he had applied for them.
Police inspector fired for abusive tweets aimed at feminist barrister
Dr Charlotte Proudman has welcomed the dismissal of a police inspector who sent her and other women abusive tweets – and contrasted the action with the approach of the Bar Standards Board.
Barrister who halved suspension on appeal refused costs against BSB
The High Court has refused to order costs in favour of a barrister who successfully reduced the suspension imposed on him for recklessly misleading the Court of Appeal.
MPs urged to support review of Legal Services Board
MPs were last week asked to support a review of the Legal Services Board after the chair of the Bar Council said the oversight regulator had refused to agree to one.
Court refuses to unfreeze struck-off solicitor’s ‘client account’
A struck-off solicitor still advising clients on legal matters has failed to obtain an injunction to compel a bank to unfreeze his account over questionable payments he received from abroad.
Fine for solicitor who acted for both property developer and investor
A solicitor who acted for a property investment company and an investor has been fined just over £9,000 for breaking conflict of interest rules.
“Reckless in the extreme” law firm directors struck off
Two law firm directors who used nearly £650,000 in legal aid disbursement payments to prop up their firm, before it went bust owing other creditors a further £1.1m, have been struck off.
Suspended sentence for solicitor who tipped off client about SFO probe
The first solicitor ever prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Office for ‘tipping off’ a client about a money laundering investigation has been handed a suspended prison sentence.
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.
