Solicitor who brought “cataclysm” upon himself is struck off
A sole practitioner who brought a “cataclysm” upon himself by failing to protect the interests of children when acting as a trustee, leading to them not receiving the legacies they should have done from two wills, has been struck off and ordered to pay £65,000 in costs. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal said Timothy John Wilkinson “blamed everyone else”.
SQE could create “even greater diversity problem”, Law Society says
Plans by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to introduce a centrally assessed Solicitors Qualifying Examination could create an “even greater diversity problem” for the profession, the Law Society has warned. The society said it could be a “huge issue for those without financial support”.
Practising fees should be “going down, not up”, LSB says
The Legal Services Board has said it expects the cost of regulating lawyers to be “going down, not up” as it approved a minor increase in the cost of practising for barristers. It said barristers should be given “much greater information” about how their money is spent.
Not so slow: SRA approving alternative business structures in only two weeks
The Solicitors Regulation Authority, once criticised for taking too long to approve alternative business structures, is now regularly approving applications from legal disciplinary practices in only two weeks, it has emerged.
Actually we don’t mind non-graduates becoming solicitors, says Law Society
The Law Society does not oppose non-graduates becoming solicitors, despite its chief executive saying earlier this week that they would devalue the qualification, it said yesterday. Catherine Dixon had written that the SRA plan to allow non-graduates to qualify had the potential to damage the profession’s reputation.
ICAEW: legal professional privilege creates “serious distortion” in market
The presence of legal professional privilege creates a “serious distortion to the competitive environment” of the legal services market, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales has argued. The ICAEW said some law firms marketed themselves on the basis that their advice was confiential.
Law Society and SRA set out their stalls in the battle for control of profession
The Law Society and Solicitors Regulation Authority yesterday drew the battle lines that will define the argument over independent regulation of the legal profession. The question was not whether the regulatory arms of bodies such as the Law Society should be independent – which the government said last year they should be – but what functions they would have under a new settlement.
Solicitor with “cavalier attitude to regulation” is struck off
A sole practitioner who refused to close his firm after failing to find indemnity insurance has been struck off and ordered to pay £20,000 costs. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal described Anthony Alabi as having a “cavalier attitude to regulation”.
Law Society: Allowing students without degrees into profession will “devalue” solicitor qualification
The Law Society yesterday rowed back from its support for would-be solicitors being able to qualify without degrees, putting it at odds with government backing for apprenticeships. Its chief executive said allowing it risked damaging the profession’s standing and even the global status of England and Wales as a jurisdiction.
Councils eye joint ABS to boost external income
Four local authorities in the south of England are set to create an alternative business structure in a bid to increase their income in a time of budget cuts. Brighton & Hove City Council, East Sussex County Council, Surrey County Council and West Sussex County Council are first to bring together their legal teams in a partnership.
