Compliance & Regulation
Manifestly incompetent solicitor fined for role in “secret sale”
A solicitor who facilitated a “secret, snap sale of inheritance property” after which the seller absconded to Morocco with proceeds to which he was not entitled has been fined for missing multiple warning signs.
Home Office “monitoring” immigration lawyers for regulatory breaches
The Home Office is keeping watch on immigration practitioners to ensure they are regulated and not breaching their obligations, it has emerged.
Law firm “colluded” with medics and others to layer PI claim
The Solicitors Regulation Authority should investigate a personal injury firm involved in “layering” a claim with further costs, given evidence that this is a pattern of behaviour..
“Shambolic” solicitor suspended over disorderly closure of firm
A solicitor who ran his law firm in a “shambolic fashion”, taking on more than 100 new cases when it should have been in the process of closing down, has been suspended for three months.
High Court rejects solicitor’s appeal against disciplinary findings
A solicitor described by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal as having acted in a seriously inept manner has failed in his appeal against an £8,000 fine to the High Court.
Solicitor used disbursements cash to prop up ailing PI firm
A solicitor whose firm was badly hit by turbulence in the personal injury market – as well as a failed attempt to diversify into cavity wall litigation – used cash meant for disbursements to keep his firm afloat.
Bar Council: Comparison websites “utterly inappropriate for barristers”
The use of online comparison websites for barristers is “utterly inappropriate”, the Bar Council has said, while describing the Legal Services Board’s work on NDAs “absurd”.
High Court rejects “pugnacious” ex-solicitor’s strike-off appeal
A solicitor struck off for making false and misleading statements on applications for professional indemnity insurance has failed in her appeal to the High Court.
BSB leaves door open to reaccreditation of barristers
The Bar Standards Board has said it is open to “revisiting” its position that a reaccreditation scheme to ensure the competence of barristers is unnecessary.
SRA to keep many disciplinary decisions online for longer
Details of many disciplinary and other regulatory actions taken by the Solicitors Regulation Authority will be published for longer than they are now, the regulator has decided.
Solicitor used friend’s identity to obtain prescription drugs
A solicitor who was convicted of fraud after impersonating a friend to obtain prescriptions for painkillers and sleeping pills has agreed to leave the profession.
SRA finalises rules for successor to Solicitors Indemnity Fund
The board of the SRA has agreed the final version of the rules for its in-house successor to the Solicitors Indemnity Fund, which is due to begin work on 1 October this year.
Slips and SLAPPs – SRA review finds good level of compliance
There is an increasing trend of firms threatening to report their opponents to the Solicitors Regulation Authority as a litigation tactic, solicitors have told the regulator.
Solicitor ghosted client and SRA after receiving divorce settlement
A solicitor who failed to pass on to a client the £132,000 due to her from her divorce settlement – money the profession has now had to stump up – has been struck off.
Partner hid conveyancing proceeds in secret bank account
A law firm co-owner who covered up the existence of a bank account he used for the proceeds of a conveyancing transaction – from both his partner and regulator – 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.
