Compliance & Regulation
High Court rejects appeal from “I like what I see” solicitor
The High Court has rejected an appeal against a £20,000 fine imposed on a male law firm owner who said “mmm, I like what I see” to a young woman applying for a paralegal position.
LSB seeks new role as AML supervisor for legal services
The Legal Services Board has argued that it should take over responsibility for anti-money laundering supervision in legal services from OPBAS.
The SIF debate is finally over as SRA takes control of run-off scheme
The seven-year debate over the future of the Solicitors Indemnity Fund has finally ended, with the Solicitors Regulation Authority formally taking over its management on Sunday.
“Shocking and abhorrent” conduct – SDT explains Bretherton strike-off
The conduct of the City solicitor struck off for taking sexual advantage of an 18-year-old apprentice was “shocking and abhorrent”, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has said.
SRA fines law firm £45,000 for how it ran financial mis-selling claims
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has slapped a law firm with a £45,000 fine for multiple failures in its conduct of financial mis-selling claims.
Law firm data breach “highlights risks to domestic violence victims”
A family law firm that disclosed personal data about a woman and children to her rapist ex-partner has been highlighted in a warning over how data breaches are putting domestic abuse victims’ lives at risk.
Ban for cashier convicted of stealing from law firm employer
A legal cashier who received a suspended jail sentence for stealing money from her law firm’s office account has been banned from the profession.
Taskforce to investigate ethics of City law firms acting for oligarchs
A heavy hitting group of City lawyers and anti-corruption experts is to examine the ethics of solicitors providing civil legal services to overseas oligarchs and kleptocrats.
“We could yet intervene in Axiom Ince,” SRA boss says
The Solicitors Regulation Authority may yet intervene in Axiom Ince, the law firm that now seems on the brink of collapse, it confirmed yesterday.
SRA steps up pressure on immigration firms with new warning notice
The SRA has today ratcheted up the pressure on immigration firms, with a warning notice reminding them not to be “complicit in providing false or fabricated” information.
Fee-earner who favoured one client over another fails to lift ban
A non-solicitor fee-earner banned from working for law firms after favouring the interests of a woman who suffered from Alzheimer’s over her mentally ill husband has failed to overturn it.
Jail for lottery scam ex-solicitor who stole £2m of client money
A solicitor struck off for plundering £2m from his firm’s client accounts as well as trusts after falling victim to a lottery scam has been jailed for four years.
Solicitor to face SDT over “misleading” Covid threats to schools and GPs
A solicitor accused of sending misleading threats to schools and GP surgeries over Covid vaccinations for children is to face the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
SRA: Firms must be held accountable for progress on diversity
Law firms need to be held accountable over efforts to improve the profession’s equality, diversity and inclusion, the chief executive of the SRA said yesterday.
Using the right tech “should be a competence requirement”
Being able to apply the right technology tool to service clients should become a competence requirement for lawyers, the former head of LawtechUK has suggested.
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.
