Barrister who held and dipped into client money suspended
A direct access barrister who impermissibly held a divorce client’s money and then did not pay all of it back has been suspended for 18 months by a disciplinary tribunal.
FCA urges Supreme Court to act quickly over car finance mis-selling
The Financial Conduct Authority is to ask the Supreme Court to make a quick decision on whether it will hear the appeal against the recent decision on car finance mis-selling.
Barristers “wrongly think they work within AML regulations”
Barristers are wrongly stating that their work is covered by the money laundering regulations in their annual declarations to the Bar Standards Board, it has emerged.
Risk assessment failures land more firms with AML fines
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has issued fines totalling £57,000 to eight more law firms for failures in their anti-money laundering controls.
Solicitor “created hundreds of file notes” to bolster costs claim
A judge has condemned a solicitor for “the worst example of tampering with a file of papers that I have ever encountered” in reducing a bill claimed at nearly £260,000 to zero.
SDT “right to strike off” solicitor involved in fraudulent PI claim
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal was right to strike off a solicitor who took part in a fraudulent personal injury claim, even though he was not the instigator, the High Court has ruled.
“Vulnerable” legal aid solicitors feel “taken advantage of”
Legal aid solicitors feel they have been “neglected the most and taken advantage of” in the years following the LASPO cuts, according to an academic study.
Tribunal clears solicitors over volume litigation misconduct
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has dismissed allegations of misconduct against two high-profile solicitors over their handling of volume financial mis-selling claims.
Employment law silks clash over impact of BSB equality duty
Two leading employment law silks have clashed over the new, proactive equality duty proposed by the Bar Standards Board, disagreeing on how much of an impact it will have on barristers.
Transatlanctic tie-up leads way in latest M&A activity
Herbert Smith Freehills has announced a “transformational” merger with a US firm, while HF has bought a construction practice, among recent M&A deals.
