Compliance & Regulation
Motor trade legal advice service launches CIC to handle litigation
An unregulated legal advice service for the motor trade has created a community interest company (CIC) so that it can provide litigation services as well.
SRA tells employers what they cannot ask in-house lawyers to do
Draft guidance for employers of in-house solicitors, which aims to establish a mutual understanding of what lawyers can and cannot do, has been published by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Post Office victim and SRA chief urge lawyers to call out colleagues
Both a sub-postmaster victim of the Post Office scandal and the chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority have urged lawyers to call out colleagues’ improper behaviour.
SRA investigates after-the-event insurance fall-out from SSB collapse
The SRA is investigating why after-the-event insurers have not paid out on policies arranged by the collapsed SSB Group and whether it shows a wider problem with ATE.
Firms reported for oppressive “pre-emptive” NDAs imposed on actors
Law firms at the heart of forcing oppressive non-disclosure agreements on actors have been reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, it emerged yesterday.
SRA issues fines exceeding £55,000 for AML compliance breaches
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has handed out more than £55,000 in fines to firms and individual lawyers for breaches of anti-money laundering requirements.
Bar Council warns regulator over plans for chambers
The Bar Council has warned the Bar Standards Board not to go too far in its oversight of chambers and said its idea of encouraging smaller sets to merge is “inappropriate”.
Management consultant to take helm of Legal Services Consumer Panel
A management consultant with significant retail and healthcare experience has been named as the new chair of the Legal Services Consumer Panel.
Rush to meet end of SDLT holiday caused solicitor to let down client
A conveyancer who forgot to put in place a declaration of trust on the ownership of a property in the rush to beat the stamp duty holiday deadline in 2021 has been rebuked.
Solicitor rebuked for making direct approaches to potential clients
A solicitor who contacted hundreds of people on a spreadsheet he was accidentally sent to ask if they wanted to bring data protection claims over the error has been rebuked.
Law firm secretary banned after county lines drug gang conviction
A legal secretary convicted of offences to supply class A drugs due to her involvement in a county lines gang has been banned from working in the solicitors’ profession.
Campaign group calls on lawyers to join push for NDA law reform
A campaign group has urged the legal profession to support legislative reform to stop the abuse of non-disclosure agreements.
Partner used colleague’s signature on statements of truth
A partner who signed statements of truth in six cases using an absent assistant solicitor’s signature has been handed a short suspension.
CMCs warned over using FCA badge to boost unregulated work
Claims management companies have been warned to stop using their Financial Conduct Authority authorisation to lend credibility to their unregulated activities.
Politicians turn up heat on SSB Law “scandal and disgrace”
Concern among MPs about the fall-out from the collapse of Sheffield-based SSB Law is growing rapidly, while one of the insurers that was pursuing its clients for costs has paused its activities.
Blog
Why upfront information could transform the home buying
The success of upfront property information will depend on more than simply making the information available.
AI risk: What law firms must now demand from vendors
AI systems ingest, transform, infer and generate. Treating them as equivalent to document storage or workflow tools is a category error.
Why mid-sized firms are the most interesting story in UK legal right now
Mid-sized law firms are facing a set of decisions about structure, technology and growth that will define where they sit in the market for the next decade.
Reports
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