Compliance & Regulation
SRA: No plans to act yet on Post Office scandal lawyers
The Solicitors Regulation Authority could take action against solicitors over misconduct in the Post Office scandal before the public inquiry ends but has yet to see evidence that requires it.
SRA forced to hire more staff to handle Axiom Ince claims
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is having to employ seven extra staff at a cost to the profession of £310,000 to help it cope with the number of compensation claims from clients of Axiom Ince.
£10k fine for employed solicitor who held herself out as sole practitioner
A solicitor at a City law firm who held herself out as a sole practitioner while helping a person bring county court proceedings has been fined £10,000.
Were lawyers complicit in Post Office’s corporate governance failures?
A solicitor who acted for three wrongly convicted sub-postmasters has questioned whether lawyers advising the Post Office’s board were more motivated by continuing the retainers.
Accounts manager tried to remove partners from roll of solicitors
An accounts manager who tried to remove her firm’s partners from the roll of solicitors has been barred from working for law firms, as has a bookkeeper who was double-paid for nine months.
Court to consider legality of refusing to act for non-sanctioned Russian
A judge is to consider whether a firm of accountants discriminated against a company owned by a non-sanctioned Russian by refusing to take it on as a client.
Law Society would support Legal Ombudsman outsourcing
The Law Society has said it would be “inclined to support” any bid by the Legal Ombudsman to secure legislation which would allow it to outsource complaints handling.
Solicitor fined after acting for friends and family without insurance
A solicitor who was unaware that the rules had changed so that she could not handle friends and family’s conveyancing for free without insurance has been fined.
High Court rejects barrister’s bid for Lib Dems disclosure order
The High Court has rejected a barrister’s bid for an order requiring the Liberal Democrats to disclose the identities of people who made anonymous complaints about her.
SRA issues first fixed penalty fine for diversity data failure
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has handed out the first fixed penalty fine for a law firm’s failure to submit its workforce diversity data within the deadline.
Solicitor jailed for false accounting fails to overturn conviction
The Court of Appeal has rejected an appeal by a former solicitor jailed more than four years ago for false accounting at his law firm.
Judge refuses to intervene over barrister who swapped sides
The High Court has refused to intervene in a dispute over the counsel for a claimant having previously been on the record for the defendants.
High Court upholds SDT decision to clear former Law Society president
The High Court has dismissed an appeal against a decision of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal to clear former Law Society president David Greene of lying to the county court.
Partner agrees to leave profession for “recklessly” misleading firm
A former equity partner at Thompsons has agreed to remove himself from the roll after admitting he “recklessly” misled it about the intimate nature of his relationship with a colleague.
Tribunal ends solicitor’s indefinite suspension after 15 years
The SDT has permitted a solicitor it indefinitely suspended 15 years ago to return to practise after he provided “full and comprehensive evidence of training in property law”.
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.
