High Court overturns SDT fines and questions absence of sanctions guidance
The High Court has expressed surprise that the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal does not publish guidance on the sanctions it might impose, in a judgment overturning fines levied against four partners at a firm where a member of staff stole over £100,000. The case should give “encouragement to those who have been poorly treated by the tribunal”, it has been claimed.
Army major launches ABS brokerage
A former major in the Army has launched a brokerage for alternative business structures, bidding to put law firms together with private equity investors. He predicts that it will be commoditised practices run along corporate lines that will most likely attract external investment.
Plant in warning to Law Society as ABS application and new handbook approved
City firms, conveyancers and other sectors of the legal profession could seek their own sector-specific regulation if the Law Society fails to approve the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s application to become an alternative business structures regulator, SRA chairman Charles Plant warned today.
SRA to consider giving consumers guidelines on how much to pay solicitors
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is investigating whether to provide consumers with guideline price ranges for legal services, it has confirmed. The move follows a call to provide better information to clients about solicitors’ services.
TAG solicitor to fight High Court ruling upgrading fine to striking-off
A solicitor involved with failed claims handler The Accident Group is to appeal against a High Court order to strike him off, after it ruled that a Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal decision to impose a fine was too lenient.
SRA uses new power to publicly rebuke and fine solicitor for first time
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has used its power to fine solicitors for the first time, Legal Futures can reveal. A sole practitioner was given a written rebuke and fined £1,000 for failing to comply with an undertaking.
Consumer confusion boosts case for strict controls over unreserved work
New consumer research from the Solicitors Regulation Authority has strengthened the case for stringent controls of law firms and alternative business structures which seek to hive off unreserved legal work to an unregulated business.
MPs tell insurers to improve referral fee transparency or face government action
MPs today called on insurers to be much more transparent with policyholders about the “merry-go-round” of referral fees in their motor business – and for the government to step in if the industry fails to take action by the end of next year.
CLC warned over allowing ABSs to dodge regulation of unreserved legal work
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers’ bid to license alternative business structures could allow firms to dodge regulation of their unreserved legal work, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has warned.
Are ABSs coming to America? They may be in North Carolina
The first crack in the wall of American opposition to non-lawyer ownership of law firms has come in a bill laid before the North Carolina Senate. The bill would allow minority (up to 49%) non-lawyer ownership of legal practices.
