Legal Ombudsman dilemma: Increase funding or find an alternative
The decision on whether to approve a 19% increase in the Legal Ombudsman’s budget is likely to be “finely balanced”, with the possibility of having to find an alternative to it lurking in the background.
Leading conveyancing firm spends £27m on referral business
Leading conveyancing firm O’Neill Patient – which was last year bought by a private equity firm – has spent £27m to buy a platform providing services to mortgage brokers and estate agents.
BSB stats and Beckwith ruling put focus on misconduct outside practice
There has been a significant increase in the number of complaints about the conduct of barristers outside of practice, it has emerged, as the implications of the Beckwith ruling continue to reverberate.
Black women lawyers outline struggles of succeeding at City firms
Leading black women lawyers have spoken about the challenges of succeeding in City law firms, including the problem of acquiring ‘gravitas’, and the fear of being seen as an ‘angry Black woman’.
Non-lawyers banned from law firms in misconduct blizzard
Six non-lawyers have been banned from working for law firms for a range of offences, from faking signatures and misusing season ticket loans to fabricating a client’s will to name themselves as a beneficiary.
Conveyancer’s shock at fraudster’s in-branch transfer from client account
A leading conveyancer has expressed his shock after a fraudster was able to transfer money from his firm’s client account at one of his bank’s branches, despite having put safeguards in place to prevent it.
High Court refuses to strike out solicitor’s surveillance harassment claim
The High Court has refused to strike out claims of harassment brought by a solicitor and his wife over surveillance of them carried out at the instruction of a former client.
Silent sufferers? Bar’s efforts to improve harassment reporting failing
The Bar Standards Board is to “reflect” on the duty on barristers to report harassment, with efforts to improve reporting proving ineffective, as it looks at new measures to tackle bullying and harassment.
Criminal solicitors billed med neg claimant £20k for “admin work”
Two criminal law solicitors who billed the victim of an attack by a psychiatric patient a total of £20,000 for what they described as “administrative services” have been fined by a tribunal.
Beckwith wins appeal – conduct was inappropriate but did not breach code
The High Court has overturned the decision that former Freshfields partner Ryan Beckwith breached the SRA code of conduct by having drunken sex with a junior lawyer at the firm.
