Criminal solicitor bodies urge members to join trade union
The two main organisations representing criminal defence solicitors have urged their members to join the trade union Unite so as to “exercise their voices collectively”.
Solicitor who practised unauthorised for son’s business is suspended
A solicitor who practised unauthorised and handled reserved probate work for a company owned by her non-solicitor son after her firm closed has been suspended for three months.
Court refers lawyers to regulators over misconduct in $11bn arbitration
A High Court judge has referred a solicitor and a barrister to their regulators for “indefensible” conduct, motivated by money, that contributed to his decision to overturn an $11bn arbitration award.
SRA makes pitch to be sole AML supervisor for UK legal sector
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has called on the government to make it the sole supervisor of anti-money laundering activity by all lawyers.
BSB could publish assessments of chambers and encourage mergers
The Bar Standards Board has floated the idea of publishing assessments of individual chambers as part of a new supervision strategy and encouraging smaller ones to bulk up through merger.
Peers fight on to give fraud enforcement agencies costs protection
The House of Lords has renewed its backing for an amendment to draft legislation giving judges more freedom not to award costs against enforcement agencies.
First post-PACCAR bid to invalidate litigation funding agreement fails
The High Court has rejected the first bid to use the Supreme Court’s PACCAR ruling by a company looking to invalidate a litigation funding agreement it had signed up to.
AI could revolutionise lawyers’ approach to costs, says judge
Generative AI like ChatGPT could revolutionise the way that lawyers deal with costs, rendering detailed assessment largely unnecessary, a High Court judge suggested last week.
Judge refuses Indian lawyer right to address High Court
The High Court has refused an Indian lawyer permission to appear for an Indian company that had dismissed its English solicitors and barristers shortly before trial.
Law Society wants single AML supervisor for legal services
The Law Society has argued for a single supervisor of anti-money laundering activity for the legal sector in England and Wales.
