Disciplinary hearings for judges to stay private in revamped system
The disciplinary regime for judges is set to become quicker and clearer but – unlike for solicitors and barristers – hearings will remain behind closed doors, under plans published yesterday.
Racial discrimination on Northern Circuit “legitimised by silence”
More than half of ethnic minority barristers on the Northern Circuit have experienced racial discrimination at the Bar, legitimised by the “silence and inaction” of others, research has found.
Clients’ desperation grows as impact of Simplify cyber-attack stretches on
Desperate consumers are looking at the feasibility of changing their lawyer as the impact of the cyber-attack on Simplify, the conveyancing giant, stretches into a second week.
Solicitor who used client account like a “piggy bank” is struck off
A solicitor who plundered her client account to meet her personal financial obligations and her ex-partner’s car debts has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
“Profound conflicts of interest”: US lawyers push back at ABS moves
Florida is set to be the next flashpoint over allowing alternative business structures in the US after lawyers in the state voted unanimously against moves to allow non-lawyer ownership.
Conveyancing giant told to improve communication after cyber-attack
The country’s largest conveyancing group has been told by its regulator to improve communication with clients in the wake of a paralysing cyber-attack this week.
“Significant weaknesses” in legal regulators’ approach to money laundering
There are “differing levels of achievement and some significant weaknesses” among the UK’s legal regulators in their approach to anti-money laundering, their oversight body has reported.
CA: Lawyers can be cross-examined in wasted costs applications
Judges have the power to direct cross-examination of a lawyer against whom a wasted costs order is sought, but it should be “very much the exception”, the Court of Appeal said yesterday.
“Lessons for other legal regulators” from Faculty Office review
The Legal Services Board has said other legal regulators could learn lessons from a highly critical review it has published on the Faculty Office, the regulator of notaries.
Not our job to help retired solicitors “sleep easy”, says SRA
It is not the job of the Solicitors Regulation Authority to help retired solicitors “sleep easy” by protecting them from historic negligence claims, its director of regulatory policy has warned.
