SRA reforms “open up cost-saving restructuring opportunity” for law firms
The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s decision to allow solicitors to practise from unregulated law firms opens up the prospects of insurers and others offering their customers legal advice and law firms restructuring themselves to handle all unreserved work in an unregulated business, it was predicted yesterday.
Advertising watchdog clears Law Society over “misleading” CQS claims
The Advertising Standards Authority has rejected a complaint by a solicitor that the Law Society misled consumers by claiming that all members of its Conveyancing Quality Scheme go through “rigorous examination and testing to demonstrate that they have a high level of knowledge, skills, experience and practice”.
SRA presses ahead with seven-page code of conduct and solicitors practising in unregulated firms
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is to press ahead with allowing practising solicitors to deliver unreserved services to the public from unregulated organisations, as part of a radical shake-up of the way it oversees the profession. At its heart are a seven-page code of conduct for solicitors and six-page code for firms.
New definition of ‘client money’ dropped but SRA gives green light to third-party accounts
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has dropped a new definition of ‘client money’ which would have excluded fees and disbursements in response to the concerns of practitioners, but is otherwise moving ahead with a huge rewrite of the accounts rules that reduces them from 41 pages to just seven, and approves the use of third-party managed accounts.
Paid McKenzie Friends should not be excluded from court, Bar Council report finds
The case for excluding paid McKenzie Friends from the courts “has not yet been made out”, research for the Bar Council has concluded. The research found that most of the work carried out by paid McKenzie Friends was delivered outside court, and advocacy was merely “the tip of the iceberg”.
Truss out as Lidington becomes new Lord Chancellor
David Lidington has become the fourth Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice in just over two years after Liz Truss became the only member of the cabinet to be demoted following the election. The fourth non-lawyer to hold the post, his record indicates little connection with legal issues to date.
Leigh Day fall-out: Questions over burden of proof in tribunal and SRA powers
Friday’s ruling of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal to clear Leigh Day and three of its lawyers in the longest and most expensive prosecution ever has brought into the spotlight questions about the burden of proof in disciplinary proceedings and the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s push for greater internal fining powers, it has been suggested.
PI claims company manager prosecuted for ‘blagging’ customer details to sell to law firms
A former claims company manager has been fined for leading a team involved in ‘blagging’ calls to illegally obtain personal data from insurance companies that they could sell on to personal injury law firms. Meanwhile, there have been more raids as part of an investigation into nuisance calls linked to the theft of data from car repair centres.
Leigh Day exonerated after longest and most expensive disciplinary tribunal prosecution ever
The longest and most expensive case brought in the history of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has ended with high-profile claimant lawyer Martyn Day, two of his colleagues and his firm Leigh Day fully exonerated. A former head of British forces in Iraq said the SRA should appeal.
Partners at Yorkshire firm fined over conflicts of interest
Two partners who acted both for former clients of a law firm shut down by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and for one of that firm’s solicitors have been fined by a disciplinary tribunal. However, they had to accept higher fines than had been agreed with the regulator to satisfy the tribunal’s view of the seriousness of their misconduct.
