Assistant solicitor struck off for backdating letters
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has struck off an assistant solicitor for dishonestly backdating client letters to conceal missed court deadlines, in the latest of a string of disciplinary cases involving faked documents. In two cases, he closed files and backdated letters before an expected Lexcel re-accreditation inspection.
Law Society goes to war on SRA code of conduct reform
The Law Society has issued a damning critique of the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s proposals for a streamlined code of conduct and – to a lesser extent – its planned overhaul of the accounts rules. The code of conduct proposals were misconceived, unnecessary, unclear, and would create a two-tier profession, it said.
Debt collection ABS pledges to undertake “genuine” no-win, no-fee
An ABS set up by the owner of a debt collection agency is promising to offer “genuine” no-win, no-fee deals in an industry where it accuses solicitors of being unwilling to take the rough with the smooth.
LSB tells Bar regulator not to keep changing the pass mark for aptitude test
The Legal Services Board has warned the Bar’s regulator that it cannot keep changing the cut score for the test would-be barristers have to pass before being allowed to take the Bar professional training course. However, it approved changes to the rules that will allow the BSB to lift the cut score this year.
Students to play virtual reality game to learn about criminal law
Academics at Westminster Law School have joined forces with their counterparts in the university’s Department of Computer Science to create a virtual reality ‘game’ that they hope will teach students criminal law.
Rocket Lawyer blasts into mainland Europe on back of UK success
Online legal services business Rocket Lawyer is expanding into continental Europe on the back of its success in the UK to date, which has seen nearly 200,000 people sign up to the service and create more than a million documents in less than four years.
Lord Chancellor expresses delight at action taken against “ambulance chasing” law firm
The new Lord Chancellor used her first appearance in the House of Commons to label Birmingham law firm Public Interest Lawyers as “ambulance chasers”. In her first justice questions, Liz Truss also addressed issues such as diversity in the legal profession, apprenticeships, and legal services as “a key part of post-Brexit global Britain”.
Ex-Premier League footballer launches ABS
A company founded by an ex-Premier League footballer to help people buy and invest in overseas property has converted into an alternative business structure so as to bring legal work in-house. Judicare Law International also seeks to protect investors in foreign property from losing money to developers in collapsed schemes and scams.
Bar Council raises fundamental concerns about CPD scheme shortly before launch
The Bar Council has slammed the Bar Standards Board’s forthcoming continuing professional development regime as being burdensome, complicated, unfit for purpose, and involving “pointless” self-assessment. It warned that the scheme would lead to “many practitioners” being “likely to fail in their compliance”.
Leading business recovery firm launches ABS
Well-known recovery specialist Leonard Curtis has today launched an alternative business structure to create a multi-disciplinary offering to businesses in financial distress. The solicitor founder said his experience to date showed how accountants were much better at being SMEs’ ‘trusted adviser’ than law firms.
