Compliance & Regulation
Around 60% of non-practising solicitors apply to stay on roll
Around 60% of non-practising solicitors have paid £20 to remain on the roll for the next year after the first exercise to update it since 2014.
Firms could be forced to point consumers to LeO complaints records
Law firms may be compelled to point potential clients to Legal Ombudsman decisions about them to help make it easier for consumers to choose a lawyer.
SRA rebukes lawyers for bankruptcy and costs misconduct
A solicitor who continued to practise after being made bankrupt and a fee-earner who failed to return disallowed costs to Court of Protection clients have been rebuked.
SRA looks to “harness the potential of unbundling”
The Solicitors Regulation Authority wants to “harness the potential of unbundling to broaden access to legal services and increase consumer choice”, it said yesterday.
Bar chair calls for private prosecutions rethink after Post Office scandal
It is time to look “very carefully” at whether those who “regarded themselves as victims” should be able to bring private prosecutions in the wake of the Post Office scandal.
Unregulated legal services firms “want more regulation”
Most unregulated legal services firms support “some aspects of regulation” for their areas but there is not a clear case for major reform, a report for the SRA has concluded.
Solicitor struck off after police Grindr sting
A solicitor caught in a police sting while using gay dating app Grindr and convicted of attempted sexual communication with a child has been struck off.
Barrister jailed for obtaining drugs from criminal clients
A barrister infamous for his conviction for possession of drugs that led to the death of his boyfriend has been jailed for 14 months after obtaining drugs from clients he was representing.
City solicitor sexually obsessed with teenage co-worker struck off
A City lawyer who shared intimate pictures with a teenage apprentice and sent her a video of him pleasuring himself was yesterday struck off.
Acting for “environment-harming” clients “not about access to justice”
Decisions taken by law firms to act for clients, including “environment-harming” fossil fuel companies and others, are not about access to justice or legal ethics, a leading academic has argued.
Government finally unveils laws to clamp down on SLAPPs
The government is to define in law what a SLAPP is in relation to economic crime and require claimants to prove it has a reasonable chance of success to advance it in court.
CILEX move “could open door to single regulator”
The dispute between CILEX and its regulator opens the door to a single regulator for the legal profession, another of the regulators has cautioned.
Solicitor handed record SRA fine for accounts rules breaches
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has fined a senior partner £18,750 for accounts rules breaches – the biggest fine for an individual since the regulator was given increased powers last year.
Pandemic experience has given lawyers more confidence in tech
The experience of the pandemic has given lawyers greater confidence in innovation and technology, leading to a “step change” in their use over the past three years, major research has found.
Solicitor failed to tell clients their claims had been struck out
A senior solicitor who misled two clients for three years over the progress of their personal injury claims – when they had actually been struck out – has been struck off.
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.
