Compliance & Regulation
Solicitor persuaded vulnerable client to send him explicit photos
A solicitor who misled a vulnerable family law client into sending explicit photographs of herself to his personal mobile phone has been struck off.
Number of complaints to law firms up 20% in five years
The number of complaints received by law firms went up by about a fifth between 2019 and 2023, the SRA has found – but averages out only at four per practice.
SRA falling short on key target for progressing investigations
Efforts by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to speed up investigations are falling short of some of the targets introduced last year, it has emerged.
BSB board and staff at odds over transferring foreign lawyers
Members of the BSB clashed with senior staff last week over how to deal with the large number of foreign lawyers seeking to be called in England and Wales but who do not intend to practise here.
Law firm fined £12,400 for not making good on undertakings
A law firm in Nottingham that failed to perform undertakings it gave on two property transactions – allowing another party to register a charge on one of them – has been fined £12,400.
Profession to pay for firm failures as compensation fund levy soars
The SRA has proposed a 336% hike in compensation fund contributions for law firms in the wake of the spiralling cost of law firm failures.
SRA places controls on head of department who misued blue badge
A senior law firm staff member who used her late mother’s disabled badge to park in a disabled bay close to its offices has been placed under controls imposed by the SRA.
Suspension for barrister who failed to pay former law firm partner
A barrister who failed to comply with a court order to pay £54,600 to a former salaried partner in his law firm has been suspended for six months by a Bar disciplinary tribunal.
Lawyers and CMCs face £250 fee to complain to Financial Ombudsman
Lawyers and claims management companies making volume complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service on behalf of clients will be charged £250 per case, it has proposed.
Khan faces second jail term after losing appeal against contempt ruling
The Court of Appeal has rejected former solicitor Sophie Khan’s bid to overturn a contempt of court ruling sought by the SRA that will see her head to jail for a second time.
Electoral Commission director named LSB chief executive
The director of communications, policy and research at the Electoral Commission is to become the new chief executive of the Legal Services Board.
Cost of regulation would “drop like a stone” with no client account
The cost of regulation would “drop like a stone” if solicitors were not allowed to hold client money, the chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority said yesterday.
SSB victims group expresses concern over regulators’ investigations
The SSB Victims Support Group has expressed concern about the way the Solicitors Regulation Authority is conducting its investigation into the collapsed Sheffield law firm.
Litigation funding supports the public interest, major research finds
Litigation funding supports the public interest and access to justice but will remain niche in aiding consumers, according to major research which identified 44 cases in the last five years.
Big fine for firm that failed to replace client money wrongly paid out
A Norwich law firm has been fined £121,000 for failing for eight years to replace client money which it had wrongly paid out to beneficiaries of an estate.
Blog
Why law firms are getting AI supervision wrong
The profession’s response to AI supervision failures misunderstands the nature of LLM output – there needs to be for a shift in the culture.
Beyond the PII premium – rethinking risk
Professional indemnity insurance renewal is often treated as an annual pricing exercise. But it is also a chance to show how effectively you identify, manage and mitigate risk.
The AI governance gap in law firms and why it matters now
A third of law firms are already using AI tools with no formal policy in place to govern how AI gets used, what data goes into it, or who’s accountable when something goes wrong.
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