“Insane” to bar solicitors from working for unregulated firms, online pioneer says
An online legal services pioneer has described the current rules preventing solicitors from practising at unregulated firms as “insane”. Former solicitor Tessa Shepperson backed plans by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to change the rules – a move strongly resisted by the Law Society.
Office manager’s niece entitled to maternity pay, says judge
A young woman who worked for a Derbyshire sole practitioner was an employee and entitled to maternity pay, the First Tier Tribunal has held. Rebecca Scothern was the niece of Karen Burley, office manager at Paul Brook Solicitors in Chesterfield.
Non-lawyers disciplined for disclosure failures during Cobbetts collapse
Tribunal judgments in the cases of two non-lawyers involved in the finances of defunct law firm Cobbetts LLP have been published, marking the latest chapter in the disciplinary aftermath of the failure. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal approved agreed outcomes relating to allegations against the firm’s former financial director and partnership tax accountant.
Jailed solicitor told to repay an extra £500,000 of criminal proceeds or face more prison time
A solicitor who was jailed last year for stealing millions from her clients and the Church of England has seen the amount she has to pay back increased by £500,000 – to nearly £2.5m – or face a further eight years in prison. The Court of Appeal said a circuit judge wrong to reduce the value of various ‘tainted’ gifts she had given to her family from the stolen money.
Axiom launches Brexit AI product to help companies update 7.5m contracts
Leading alternative legal services provider Axiom has launched a purpose-built service, incorporating artificial intelligence, to help companies update over 7.5m financial services contracts in the run-up to Brexit. It described this as the largest contract rewriting and updating exercise ever seen.
Survey: mid-sized firms spend on tech but don’t check whether it was worth the money
Mid-sized law firms are convinced that their IT spend is adding to profitability but three out of four make no effort to measure their return on investment, according to new research. It also found that more than two-thirds of firms had no CRM system and more than a quarter had no practice management system.
Legal Services Board approves SQE – for now
The Legal Services Board has approved an initial application by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to introduce the Solicitors Qualifying Examination. Despite intense pressure, LSB chief executive Neil Buckley said there were “no grounds” to reject the SRA’s application, setting out the framework for the regime.
SDT clears solicitor at personal injury firm over success fee deductions
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has completely cleared a solicitor at Preston-based personal injury firm Barber & Co of serious allegations, including that he had wrongly taken success fees from clients’ damages. The SDT also cleared the firm’s principal, Arif Barber, of the most serious allegations.
High Court hears how squabbling barristers turned family hearing into “shouting match”
There is a “concerning tendency on the part of the advocates simply to interrupt each other in an effort to advance their competing submissions”, a High Court judge has said as he reviewed a hearing that turned into a “shouting match”.
Conveyancer banned for covering up mistakes with her own money
A conveyancing fee-earner who covered up her mistakes by paying two lenders what they were owed out of her own pocket has been banned from working in the profession. The Solicitors Regulation Authority said it was “undesirable for her to be involved in a legal practice”.
