Compliance & Regulation
Bar courses still unaffordable, students tell regulator
Nearly four in five Bar students still regard their courses as unaffordable despite an average drop of £4,700 in fees, research for the Bar Standards Board has found.
New duty on licensed conveyancers to treat customers fairly
An explicit requirement on licensed conveyancers to treat customers fairly has been adopted by their regulator as part of a revised set of ethical standards.
Solicitor “grossly abused his position” to dupe investors
A solicitor sacked by national firm Blake Morgan during his probationary period “grossly abused his position” by duping two investors into handing over money on the basis he was still working there.
Partner secretly worked on deal with his firm on opposite side
An experienced partner who secretly worked on the purchase of a property where his firm was acting for the seller has been fined £32,000 for a lack of integrity.
Solicitor apprenticeships launched for part-qualified legal professionals
The first solicitor apprenticeship scheme has been launched which is specifically designed for paralegals part-way through qualifications with other legal bodies.
SDT in rare split decision over married solicitors’ employment of son
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has issued a rare majority decision over the misconduct of husband and wife solicitors in the employment of their son.
Law Society opposes SRA plan to ban firms being paid upfront
Solicitors Regulation Authority plans to stop law firms taking money for costs in advance of work being done could harm those working on fixed fees, the Law Society has warned.
SRA wins approval to destroy 765,000 files from shut-down firms
The High Court has given the Solicitors Regulation Authority permission to destroy immediately around 765,000 files it is storing after intervening in law firms in recent years.
Barrister misled court into removing child from father
A non-practising barrister whose dishonest submissions to a court caused it to order the removal of a small child from her father has been disbarred.
Blavo to face SDT at last over huge legal aid fraud
The boss of Blavo & Co – the major legal aid firm found by the High Court to have made fraudulent claims on public funds – will finally face the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal this month.
Tribunal lifts condition on solicitor “manipulated” by timeshare scheme
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has lifted a condition on a former law firm boss who admitted she had “permitted herself to be manipulated” by a timeshare scheme.
Partner ignored SRA’s warning over providing banking facilities
A partner who ignored a warning letter from the SRA telling him not to use his client account as a banking facility, which he then did, has been fined £10,000.
SDT lifts restrictions on twice-fined solicitor despite SRA objection
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has lifted practising conditions on the former partner of a law firm whom it has twice fined, latterly £20,000 for “very serious misconduct”.
Partner’s trainee supervision failure aided “property hijacks”
The boss of a Manchester law firm has been fined £12,500 for failing to supervise his trainee properly in conveyancing transactions that “bore the hallmarks of property hijacks”.
Solicitor instructed and paid by clients without telling firm
An immigration solicitor who misappropriated £31,500 of his law firm’s fees by failing to record clients and then pocketing their fees 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.
