Compliance & Regulation
BSB keeps its powder dry over Post Office barristers
The Bar Standards Board has yet to see evidence from the Post Office inquiry that requires it to take urgent action against any barrister, it has told Legal Futures.
Axiom Ince review to investigate regulation of ‘accumulator firms’
The Legal Services Board review of the collapse of Axiom Ince will include not just the role of the Solicitors Regulation Authority but also its approach to law firm consolidators.
SRA hands out another hefty fine for drink-drive conviction
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has imposed another hefty fine on a solicitor convicted of drink driving as the impact of its new approach to fines hits home.
Deferring point of call will damage diversity and inns, says top KC
Delaying the point at which barristers are called to the Bar until after obtaining pupillage risks reducing the diversity and strength of the profession, a former Bar Council chair has argued.
LSB to identify gaps in regulation that allow unethical conduct
The Legal Services Board is to begin work on identifying the gaps in regulation that have allowed unethical or unprofessional conduct to emerge.
Solicitor fined £9,000 for improper client account transfers
A solicitor who allowed made improper transfers from client account to his firm’s office account has been fined £9,000 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
LSB rejects call to make Axiom Ince review independent
The Legal Services Board has firmly rejected a call from five local law societies to make its review of the Axiom Ince scandal independent.
Solicitor jailed for jury misconduct suspended for eight years
A solicitor jailed for undertaking her own research while serving on a jury has been suspended from practice for eight years, until her ban from sitting on juries ends.
Green light for CILEX lawyers to gain higher rights of audience
Experienced CILEX advocates will be able to apply for higher rights of audience in civil and criminal work soon after the Legal Services Board approved the move.
LSB warns regulators to meet deadline on new transparency rules
The Legal Services Board has warned the frontline regulators that it will take action if they do not deliver new measures to improve transparency around lawyers’ services by September.
SRA hands out fines nearing £50,000 for AML failures
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has this week issued fines totalling nearly £50,000 to two law firms and a solicitor over various breaches of anti-money laundering rules.
Immigration solicitor’s complaints about Daily Mail sting rejected
One of the immigration solicitors caught up in a Daily Mail sting last summer has failed in his complaint about it to the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
Lawyer rebuked for not checking ID of walk-in client
A chartered legal executive who failed to check the identity of a walk-in client who said the firm had acted for him in the past has been rebuked by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
CMA urged to act over lack of progress on lawyer quality indicators
The Competition & Markets Authority has been urged to step in and accelerate the “painfully slow” progress legal regulators are making in developing quality indicators.
CA upholds ruling that solicitor did not condone partner’s £16m fraud
The Court of Appeal has dismissed the latest bid by the insurer of London law firm Jirehouse – whose founder is in jail for fraud – to exclude liability for the multi-million-pound loss suffered by a client.
Blog
Why menopause support belongs on every law firm’s agenda
Progression in the law slows significantly as women approach senior leadership. Most will be at the height of their careers around the average age menopause symptoms begin.
Law firms need to go beyond document checks
At the root of every failed compliance review is a familiar phrase: a calm assertion of “but we did a document check”.
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.
