Compliance & Regulation
CILEX unveils plans for SRA-regulated ‘chartered lawyers’
CILEX has unveiled plans to introduce new ‘chartered lawyer’ and ‘chartered litigator’ titles at the same time as switching regulator from CILEx Regulation Ltd to the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
SRA: Solicitors “routinely underestimate” risks in NDAs
The risks and consequences arising from non-disclosure agreements are routinely underestimated and rarely explored by solicitors, a major review has found.
SDT anticipates more cases on “toxic” law firm cultures
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal expects to see more cases involving “toxic and anachronistic” work cultures, and more appeals against the SRA’s use of its higher fining powers.
SRA: Shutting Daily Mail sting firms was not due to political pressure
The boss of the SRA said today that the decision to shut down three law firms caught in a Daily Mail undercover sting had nothing to do with the political pressure that followed.
CILEX advocate sets up personal injury firm regulated by BSB
A personal injury specialist has become one of the first CILEX advocates to set up a law firm regulated by the Bar Standards Board, providing county court advocacy services.
Solicitor who lied to client and SRA is struck off
A solicitor who repeatedly lied to a client and also acted for clients while he was suspended, lying about it to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, has been struck off.
Is our compliance officer actually complying?
By Sarah Charlton of BlueSky Legal Finance & Management Solutions In the first of a new monthly ‘Ask the Expert’ series from Insight Legal, legal finance and management specialist Sarah Charlton considers a question many partners at smaller firms must… Read More
Bar chief: Legal Twitter pile-ons “getting out of hand”
The number of ‘pile-ons’ on legal Twitter is “getting out of hand”, the chairman of the Bar Council has argued ahead of the BSB looking to “tackle gendered bullying” in revised social media guidance.
Freezing order for disbarred barrister acting as McKenzie Friend
A one-time barrister disbarred in 2016 has had her assets frozen over allegations of misappropriating money from a client while acting as a McKenzie Friend.
Another leading City firm to face tribunal over alleged AML breaches
Leading City law firm Clyde & Co is to face the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for alleged breaches of the Money Laundering Regulations, the second big firm referred in a fortnight.
Fines for solicitor who misused client account and COFA who let him
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has handed substantial fines to a director who used his firm’s client account as a banking facility and the compliance officer who allowed it.
Government ramps up focus on “crooked” immigration lawyers
The government has upped its attacks on “crooked” immigration lawyers by unveiling a taskforce to increase enforcement action against those who help migrants exploit the system.
Suspended jail term for immigration adviser who posed as solicitor
A woman who falsely claimed to be a solicitor and provided immigration advice when not qualified to do so has been given an 18-month suspended sentence.
“Disgraceful” solicitor misled elderly woman over outstanding fees
A solicitor who misled an 89-year-old former client into giving him money she did not owe has been struck off for “disgraceful behaviour” capable of shattering public trust in the profession.
Law firms risk claims without safeguards for generative AI
Law firms must either introduce “safeguards that include human oversight” to authenticate AI-generated content or “expect an increased exposure” to negligence claims, a leading law firm has warned.
Blog
Why later-life divorce requires a distinct professional framework
Later-life divorce, often described as ‘silver splitter’ or ‘grey divorce’ cases, is no longer a marginal feature of family law practice. It challenges long-standing assumptions about how divorce work is done.
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.
