“Professional tragedy” for City partner as High Court refuses to overturn second strike-off
A former City partner, struck off twice by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal after challenging its first ruling at the High Court, has failed to overturn the second decision. Mrs Justice Carr said the end of Andrew Shaw’s career was a “professional tragedy” for him.
Judges speak out against flexible court hours pilots
Judges have started coming out against the controversial flexible operating hours pilot, with one describing it as “the most retrograde step in terms of diversity in my memory”. The resident judge at Taunton Crown Court said “this experiment is misconceived”, and a deputy district judge questioned the impact on her colleagues.
Practitioner who allowed struck-off solicitor to operate from her firm struck off herself
A sole principal who failed in a rare challenge to an intervention in the High Court last year has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, and ordered to pay over £70,000 in costs. It found that her judgement had been “impaired” by the influence of a “significant client”, who was also a struck-off solicitor.
Solicitors agree to remove themselves from the roll after admitting misconduct
Two solicitors have agreed to leave the profession rather than face a strike-off or suspension, one for overcharging estates, the other for not disclosing to either the Solicitors Regulation Authority or Legal Ombudsman that attendance notes on a file had been backdated.
Axiom fund solicitor sanctioned at second time of asking
A solicitor who was originally cleared by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has now been fined £5,000 after the decision was overturned by the High Court. It is the latest case involving the Axiom Legal Financing Fund, where solicitors borrowed hundreds of thousands of pounds, ostensibly to fund disbursements in personal injury cases, but instead used the money for general practice funding.
IPSO orders Mail on Sunday to publish correction to report on QC’s conduct
The Mail on Sunday has been forced to publish a ruling highlighting its regulator’s serious concerns about the way it reported the conduct of a QC in a money laundering case. The newspaper was also criticised for misreporting the status of a related Solicitors Regulation Authority investigation.
Number and turnover of personal injury CMCs continues to tumble
The turnover of personal injury claims management companies (CMCs) has continued to tumble over the past year, falling 41% in just two years to £182m, according to the Ministry of Justice, which also highlighted how CMCs that offer damages-based agreements are struggling to comply with the law.
Gordon Dadds formally becomes UK’s second listed law firm
The group that owns London law firm Gordon Dadds today became the second listed law firm after the shareholders of what was Work Group plc yesterday approved the reverse takeover. The new company was admitted to trading on AIM today, with Gordon Dadds chief executive Adrian Biles owning 26.7% of the shares in issue.
“Business as usual” insists Simpson Millar as listed parent company faces administration
National law firm Simpson Millar has insisted that it is “business as usual” after its listed parent copany, Fairpoint Group, announced its intention to appoint administrators. Last month, the group announced that its debt had been sold on and that a £5m funding facility had been provided to the legal services business.
High Court substitutes nine-month suspension after overturning solicitor’s strike-off
The High Court has imposed a nine-month suspension on a senior solicitor after he successfully appealed his striking-off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. Mrs Justice Carr said the misconduct was serious, but not at the highest level, and also criticised the SRA for the delay in bringing the case and some of the allegations it made.
