Compliance & Regulation
Lawyers may have to pay LeO case fee even if complaint is dismissed
Law firms may for the first time have to pay a case fee for complaints dismissed by the Legal Ombudsman, under new proposals published yesterday.
Litigation funding reform remains our intention, minister tells MPs
Litigation funding reform, the interest on lawyers’ client accounts scheme and the regulation of legal AI tools were all on the agenda for justice minister Sarah Sackman yesterday.
Legal services lead way as government’s first AI Growth Lab
Legal services will be the first sector to join the government’s new AI Growth Labs – providing a regulatory sandbox for AI systems – justice secretary David Lammy announced yesterday.
LeO not set up to handle solicitor/client costs disputes – for now
The Legal Ombudsman is open to a discussion on it replacing the courts for costs disputes between solicitors and their clients – but would not be in a position to actually do it for some time.
“Burn it” solicitor suspended for two years
A senior City partner who told a client to “burn” a private messaging app after it was served with a search order has been suspended for two years.
LeO eyes case fee and scheme rule reform as complaints climb
The Legal Ombudsman will this month set out stronger incentives for lawyers to resolve complaints by reforming the operation of the case fee regime, Legal Futures can reveal.
Increasing number of lawyers view SRA negatively
The legal profession’s negativity about the Solicitors Regulation Authority has increased markedly, but most are still positive about it, according its own research.
Aspirring solizitors to benafit from SQE spellchecka
Aspiring solicitors who have been “hindered” in the SQE2 exam process until now will finally be able to use a new spellchecker in their written assessments next month.
Solicitors faced with SRA demand for privileged material “should delay”
Solicitors asked by their regulator to hand over privileged client material should ask for a delay while the High Court considers the issue, a KC has advised.
Solicitor took money in “fraudulent breach of trust”
A solicitor has been ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds after the High Court made findings of fraud and fraudulent breach of trust against him.
Law firms fined £600,000 for AML breaches
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has fined 59 law firms a total of £600,000 in the past six months for breaching basic anti-money laundering rules.
CLC warns of “regulatory blind spots” on referral fees
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has warned of the risk of “regulatory blind spots” after a review of referral fees revealed shortcomings in firms documenting arrangements.
SRA presses on with separating management and compliance roles
The SRA is going ahead with rule changes to separate law firm managers who can “unilaterally” make decisions from compliance officer roles in all but the smallest firms.
SRA ordered to pay solicitor costs after failed dishonesty allegation
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has reprimanded a duty solicitor for backdating documents – but ordered the SRA to pay him costs after he was cleared of dishonesty.
Exclusive: SRA to appeal suspended suspension for “bullying” solicitor
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to appeal the decision to give only a suspended suspension to a law firm owner who bullied and harassed five junior members of staff.
Blog
What LeO’s data tells us about client service in personal injury
With court backlogs, insurer delays and increasingly complex cases, maintaining client care in personal injury work can be difficult, but the data suggests the industry is falling short.
Your landlord clients have prepared for the wrong law
Lawyers advising major landlords and build-to-rent operators have spent the better part of a year on the Renters’ Rights Act. A good deal of that advice has been aimed at the wrong risk.
Your website is losing clients before they even pick up the phone
Your website visitor is likely already carrying stress before they arrive. If your site adds to it rather than relieves it, you have likely lost a prospective client.
Reports
Associates
