Solicitor allowed use of client account as £4.6m banking facility
A solicitor who let his firm’s client account be used as a banking facility for payments from clients’ investors totalling over £4.6m has been fined £15,000.
Barristers take on debt and other work to survive pandemic
Six in 10 barristers, rising to 80% of those doing publicly funded work, have taken on personal debt or used savings to get through Covid-19, while a quarter have taken on additional paid work.
Male barrister fined for smacking female colleague on backside
A male barrister who told a junior female colleague that “I really wanted to smack your arse” – and then did so – has been reprimanded and fined £6,000 by a Bar disciplinary tribunal.
Another SRA prosecution fails but regulator avoids costs order
The Solicitors Regulation Authority was justified in prosecuting two law firm partners even though all of the allegations were dismissed, a tribunal has ruled.
New York rejects ABSs for now as Arizona opens doors to them
Alternative business structures will not be allowed in New York for the time being because the case for them improving access to justice has not been made, a commission has decided.
Email attachments are not privileged just because message is
The Supreme Court has refused to interfere in a ruling that legal professional privilege which covers an email does not extend to any attachments.
Law firm awarded £25k damages for defamatory Trustpilot review
The High Court has awarded a law firm damages of £25,000 for a defamatory review on Trustpilot posted by a disgruntled former client who paid £200 for advice.
Solicitor who misled tribunals on Ugandan law is struck off
A solicitor who misled the First-tier and Upper Tribunals in immigration cases about anti-gay legislation in Uganda has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Law Society to LeO: Ask government, not lawyers, for more cash
The Law Society has told the Legal Ombudsman to ask the government for “Covid-related financial assistance” instead of expecting the profession to fund a proposed 19% budget hike.
Knights aims to plug geographical gaps throughout UK
The boss of listed law firm Knights has outlined his ambitions to continue expanding the business across England, with Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland also in his sights.
