Compliance & Regulation
Barrister wins nine-year fight to overturn critical tribunal findings
The employment tribunal has set aside a ruling from 2014 that a former law firm director, now a barrister, was guilty of serious financial impropriety.
Solicitors may now avoid SDT for significant but inadvertent breaches
The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s new fining powers mean that significant but inadvertent breaches need no longer be referred to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, the pair have agreed.
RAC employee convicted of passing accident data to claims companies
A former employee of breakdown company RAC has been convicted of stealing the data of victims of road traffic accidents, which he then passed on to claims management companies.
SRA to throw spotlight on incompetence in the profession
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to publish an annual competence report on the whole profession this summer, coupled with pro-actively targeting incompetent solicitors.
LeO bringing down backlog but will miss year-end target
The Legal Ombudsman closed more cases in the first nine months of its current year than it did in the whole of the previous 12 months – but is still behind schedule to slash its backlog.
Conveyancing fee-earner banned over £338,000 tax scam
A fee-earner who misappropriated at least £338,000 from her firm by making fraudulent land tax claims has been banned from the profession.
Axiom to enter regulation after obtaining ABS licence
Leading alternative legal services provider Axiom Law is entering regulation in England and Wales after winning approval for an alternative business structure.
Parliament ratchets up pressure on SRA and solicitors
Solicitors and their regulator have found themselves in the crosshairs of MPs and peers this week over strategic lawsuits against public participation and economic crime.
BSB to commission independent review of enforcement processes
The Bar Standards Board is to commission an “independent end-to-end” review of its enforcement processes in a bid to improve its much-criticised performance.
Rebuke for solicitor caught on camera making “lewd gesture”
A solicitor who was caught on camera making a “lewd gesture” at a colleague at the firm’s Christmas party has been rebuked by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
LSB considers ban on NDAs unless employee asks for one
Lawyers could be banned from drafting NDAs in cases of sexual harassment, discrimination or whistleblowing unless the member of staff involved has asked for one.
Number of SRA investigations into SLAPPs continues to rise
The number of law firms being investigated for possible misconduct relating to SLAPPs has doubled since the summer to 40, the chief executive of the SRA revealed yesterday.
Increase in suspicious activity reports made by lawyers
The number of suspicious activity reports made by lawyers rose last year but continues to represent just a tiny fraction of reports received by the National Crime Agency.
CMCs still pushing out “misleading and unfair” advertising
Claims management companies are still producing “misleading, unclear and unfair advertising”, the Financial Conduct Authority has said.
Unrepentant barrister disbarred for breaking Supreme Court embargo
The barrister found in contempt of court by the Supreme Court after he released its embargoed ruling on the planned third runway for Heathrow airport has now been disbarred.
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.
