SDT promises non-parties “open justice” on access
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has promised to make “open justice” central to its response to requests from non-parties for access to papers used at disciplinary hearings.
SRA gives up on major indemnity insurance reform
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has ended a controversial five-year project to reform the professional indemnity insurance regime, meaning the minimum level of cover will not be cut to £500,000.
PI firm which diversified could quadruple in size
A former specialist personal injury firm which has diversified into other kinds of volume litigation could quadruple in size by the end of next year.
Barrister suspended for Twitter attacks on fellow counsel
A barrister in a long-running dispute with fellow counsel has been suspended from practice for two years after sending her a series of “obscene or seriously offensive” tweets.
BSB and SRA in firing line over shortcomings
The Bar Standards Board has been told that it needs to act more quickly on how it plans to educate the public about barristers after its widely criticised decision to stop funding Legal Choices.
New advertising rule “not a complete ban”, says SRA
The new rule that prohibits solicitors from making unsolicited approaches to members of the public is not a blanket ban on all advertising, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has clarified.
Jailed solicitor must repay £3m or face more prison time
A jailed solicitor involved in the UK’s biggest ever tax fraud must repay £3m of his ill-gotten gains or face a further nine years in prison, a judge at the Old Bailey has ruled.
F4L unveils referral fee-compliant ‘pay per enquiry’ model
Marketing collective First4Lawyers has unveiled a new lead generation model that it says allows firms to pay a fee per enquiry while complying with the referral fee ban.
SRA writes to 6,500 firms over AML assessments
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has written to 6,500 law firms asking them to make a declaration that they have a firm-wide risk assessment complying with the anti-money laundering regulations.
Solicitor failed to funnel fees through virtual firm
A solicitor who took client payments into his own bank account rather than through the virtual law firm he worked for has agreed to leave the profession for at least five years. The firm lost £50,000 as a result.
