LawCare urges culture change after case of ‘dishonest’ solicitor showed compassion by SDT
The charity LawCare has called on the profession to reconsider its culture in the wake of the case this week of a solicitor who avoided being struck-off for dishonesty offences because of the pressure she was put under at work and her mental ill-health. It said the case of Sovani James depicted “a scenario that we are very familiar with”.
Law Society to introduce training quality committee in wake of setbacks
The Law Society is to launch a new ‘quality and standards in education’ committee, after a year in which its training arrangements have come under sustained pressure. It is also investigating whether to reintroduce student membership and has issued guidance on when law firms should tell trainees whether they have a job post admission.
Don’t be fooled by the silence – MoJ “hard at work” to increase PI small claims limit
The Ministry of Justice yesterday laid out the extensive work being done to prepare for the increase in the personal injury small claims limit, including how it might work with the planned online court. It shows that, despite the continuing silence over when the Civil Liability Bill will be published, considerable work is going on behind the scenes.
Solicitor who deliberately failed to pay thousands in barristers’ fees is struck off
A solicitor who deliberately kept money from clients for barristers’ fees and told his accounts manager to cover it up – in a bid to prop up his firm – has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. The tribunal described as “extraordinary and incredible” evidence given in his defence.
Bar Council lashes BSB over price publication plans
The Bar Council has strongly attacked plans by the Bar Standards Board to force barristers to publish prices and internal complaints records. It said a requirement on chambers to publish hourly rates might actually end up decreasing transparency.
“We don’t want to replicate a traditional law firm” – Deloitte announces ABS move
Deloitte is to become the final member of the Big Four accountancy firms to set up an alternative business structure (ABS), it announced today. It has previously said it would not go down this road due to the number of legal clients it has, but a spokeswoman explained that this position had been kept constantly under review.
SDT issues mental health warning to employers in case of solicitor under billing pressure
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has decided against striking off a solicitor it found had created and backdated correspondence and lied to both her client and her employer, after finding that a root cause of her misconduct was the firm’s culture and the pressure it exerted on her to meet billing targets. Her mental ill-health was the other factor.
Government applies design to redraft “more accessible” contract for public sector suppliers
The Government Legal Department has embraced design rewritten its public sector contract to make it much slimmer and more accessible to non-lawyers. The new contract was a collaborative effort that involved the Government Digital Service, focusing on user research, content design and interaction design.
Gauke becomes first solicitor Lord Chancellor
David Gauke yesterday became the first solicitor to become Lord Chancellor, after he replaced the promoted David Lidington. There have now been six Lord Chancellors since the Conservatives came to power in 2010. Mr Gauke was an assistant at City firm Macfarlanes before his election in 2005.
Consumer panel warns SRA that latest Handbook reforms are recipe for “consumer confusion”
The Legal Services Consumer Panel has warned that the second phase of reforms to the Solicitors Regulation Authority Handbook would “compound existing complexities” and could further confuse consumers. It said the reforms were “unlikely to assist consumers, especially vulnerable ones, in choosing services in times of distress”.
