Compliance & Regulation


SDT was wrong to slash SRA’s prosecution costs, High Court rules

27 November 2023

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal was wrong to slash the costs of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in a successful prosecution by 78%, the High Court has ruled.


Law firms “may avoid high-risk work” under new complaints rules

27 November 2023

Law firms may avoid carrying out work in “high-risk sectors” under the new regime planned by the Legal Services Board for client complaints, the Law Society has warned.


Disbarred barrister convicted over antisemitic blog posts

23 November 2023

A former barrister who was disbarred for antisemitic and racist tweets has now been convicted for grossly offensive antisemitic material posted on his blog.


Solicitor accepts “substantial damages” over Times libel

23 November 2023

A solicitor whose political ambitions were derailed by a libellous article about his legal work for miners has accepted “substantial” damages from The Times.


Consolidation of legal regulators “may be a good thing”

22 November 2023

Consolidation of legal regulators “may be a good thing” if it pulls together knowledge, lessons, consumer research and engagement, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has said.


Bar Council to step up support for chambers

22 November 2023

The Bar Council is to produce a set of template policies for chambers and may even set up a Bar jobs board, it has emerged.


SRA: Lawyers “must not trust AI to judge its own accuracy”

21 November 2023

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has warned solicitors not to trust artificial intelligence to “judge its own accuracy” and remember that existing AI “does not have a concept of truth”.


Licensed conveyancers being brought back into AML compliance

20 November 2023

More than 40% of firms of licensed conveyancers inspected by their regulator in the past year were non-compliant with anti-money laundering rules, a review has revealed.


Transparency rule failures lead SRA to issue first fixed penalties

17 November 2023

Three law firms that failed to comply with the transparency rules have become the first to receive fixed £750 fines under the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s new regime.


LSB chief: Profession needs “course correction” to boost public confidence

17 November 2023

Lawyers need to recognise that their role comes with “privileges and obligations” at a time of public concern about unethical behaviour, the chief executive of the Legal Services Board has said.


Family lawyer who took advantage of abuse victims is struck off

17 November 2023

A family law solicitor who lied to and took advantage of vulnerable clients, including victims of domestic violence, has been struck off and ordered to pay almost £75,000 in costs.


Allow us to refuse work for ethical reasons, junior lawyers tell firms

16 November 2023

Junior lawyers want the right to refuse to work on certain matters for ethical reasons, but few firms currently allow it, research has found. They are frustrated too by the slow pace of cultural change.


Solicitor convicted of tipping off client about money laundering probe

16 November 2023

The first solicitor ever prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Office for ‘tipping off’ a client about a money laundering investigation was convicted this week at the Old Bailey.


SRA issues detailed defence of its actions on Axiom Ince

15 November 2023

The SRA yesterday issued its first detailed statement on the Axiom Ince scandal, saying the suspected dishonesty was “sophisticated” and missed by everyone else.


ASA bans law firm’s TikTok adverts for misleading consumers

15 November 2023

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned two misleading TikTok posts by a law firm for not making clear that the people featured were not genuine clients.

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Blog


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