Compliance & Regulation
City lawyer struck off for child sex offences
A solicitor formerly at City giant Herbert Smith Freehills has been struck off after being jailed for child sex offences but his identity has been kept private.
SDT “obviously wrong” to name struck-off solicitor’s former clients
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal was “obviously wrong” to name former clients of a struck-off solicitor and failing to uphold legal professional privilege, the High Court has ruled.
Solicitor who made “derogatory” remarks to counterpart fined
A solicitor who made “inappropriate, derogatory, puerile and inflammatory remarks” in emails to another solicitor has been fined £7,500 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Rise in bullying and harassment complaints against barristers
The Bar Standards Board has welcomed an increase in reports of bullying and harassment in the profession, saying the rise indicates growing confidence in how it deals with them.
Bar chief suspended for train chat that breached court order
The former head of the Scottish Bar has been suspended after being filmed on a train naming women who had accused ex-SNP leader Alex Salmond of sexual assault, in breach of a court order.
Law firm fined after building up £105k in residual client balances
A North London law firm that allowed £105,000 of residual client balances to build up over 13 years has been fined £14,000 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
SDT clears City lawyer in Zoom “espionage” case
A senior City lawyer accused of misconduct which the public would view as “perhaps even tantamount to espionage” has been cleared by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
LSB has “no role” in promoting use of technology
The Legal Services Board has “no role” in promoting the use of technology and there are “dangers in using regulatory levers to attempt to do so”, the Bar Council has warned.
SRA finally moves to shut down Axiom Ince
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has today closed down Axiom Ince, the scandal-hit law firm that was on the verge of collapse.
High Court rejects appeal from “I like what I see” solicitor
The High Court has rejected an appeal against a £20,000 fine imposed on a male law firm owner who said “mmm, I like what I see” to a young woman applying for a paralegal position.
LSB seeks new role as AML supervisor for legal services
The Legal Services Board has argued that it should take over responsibility for anti-money laundering supervision in legal services from OPBAS.
The SIF debate is finally over as SRA takes control of run-off scheme
The seven-year debate over the future of the Solicitors Indemnity Fund has finally ended, with the Solicitors Regulation Authority formally taking over its management on Sunday.
“Shocking and abhorrent” conduct – SDT explains Bretherton strike-off
The conduct of the City solicitor struck off for taking sexual advantage of an 18-year-old apprentice was “shocking and abhorrent”, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has said.
SRA fines law firm £45,000 for how it ran financial mis-selling claims
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has slapped a law firm with a £45,000 fine for multiple failures in its conduct of financial mis-selling claims.
Law firm data breach “highlights risks to domestic violence victims”
A family law firm that disclosed personal data about a woman and children to her rapist ex-partner has been highlighted in a warning over how data breaches are putting domestic abuse victims’ lives at risk.
Blog
Why law firms are getting AI supervision wrong
The profession’s response to AI supervision failures misunderstands the nature of LLM output – there needs to be for a shift in the culture.
Beyond the PII premium – rethinking risk
Professional indemnity insurance renewal is often treated as an annual pricing exercise. But it is also a chance to show how effectively you identify, manage and mitigate risk.
The AI governance gap in law firms and why it matters now
A third of law firms are already using AI tools with no formal policy in place to govern how AI gets used, what data goes into it, or who’s accountable when something goes wrong.
Reports
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