Compliance & Regulation
SRA “adding to confusion” around COLP/COFA changes
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is only adding to the confusion as it changes the rules on who can be compliance officers, its former head of legal has said.
Solicitor fined £20k but avoids SDT for multiple rule breaches
A solicitor responsible for multiple rule breaches – including a shortage in client account – has been fined £20,150 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
FCA to start taking on AML oversight from 2028
The Financial Conduct Authority expects to start overseeing the anti-money laundering efforts of some lawyers “before the end of 2028”, the government has said.
Small firms join forces to step up compliance officer campaign
Small and medium-sized law firms opposed to rule changes on who can hold compliance officer rules have banded together to lobby both the SRA and Law Society.
Sham marriages solicitor fails in bid to return to profession
A solicitor struck off in 2019 after being recorded by an undercover reporter advising on a sham marriage has failed in a bid to return to the profession.
Veteran solicitor let hand-written accounts fall into chaos
A veteran solicitor who let his firm’s accounts fall into chaos, causing the SRA Compensation Fund to pay out £400,000 to his former clients, has been suspended from practice.
Law firm fined £16k for not complying with rules around PEPs
A law firm that did not have the processes in place to cope with acting for a politically exposed person on multiple property transactions has been fined £16,100.
Lawyer struck off for using fake AI-generated cases before SDT
A registered foreign lawyer who used misleading AI-generated quotes and citations in defending a Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal case against him has been struck off.
Oversight regulator steps up pressure on SRA in wake of PM Law
The Legal Services Board is to step up its demands of reform at the SRA in the wake of the review that exposed major failures in its supervision of PM Law.
SRA review lays bare missed opportunities to act earlier on PM Law
The Solicitors Regulation Authority had the information and opportunities it needed to take action on the PM Law Group long before it collapsed, a review has concluded.
Solicitor fails in appeal against rebuke for estate administration delays
A solicitor rebuked by the SRA for “substantial and unexplained delay” in the administration of an estate has failed in an appeal to the SDT.
SLAPPs show limits of legal regulation, say MPs
The government needs to “look again” at the enforcement powers of the SRA to ensure it can deal with “lawyers who let down the reputation of the profession”, a minister said this week.
LeO’s planned case fees risk being seen “as punitive tool”
Plans by the Legal Ombudsman for big rises in the case fees it charges law firms risk creating the impression that they are “being used as a punitive tool”.
BSB reviewer sides with barrister over Good Law Project complaint
The Bar Standards Board’s independent reviewer has upheld its decision to reject the Good Law Project’s complaint against a barrister over her social media posts about a trans woman.
Solicitor struck off for lying about trying to hide client file
A newly qualified solicitor who asked a colleague to hide a client file so as to cover up her lack of work on an HM Land Registry application, has been struck off.
Blog
SEO is changing: Are you measuring the right things?
AI means firms may see falling organic traffic and wonder if SEO is still working. The more interesting question is whether traffic is still the right measure of success.
Forms are evolving – and more interesting than you might think
I have spent much of my working life thinking about something most people would probably prefer not to think about at all: legal forms.
The questions that determine if the SRA’s client money reforms will work
Both reforms respond to real and well-evidenced gaps in the current framework. The SRA’s changes after consultation feedback shows it’s listening. But structural change on paper is only half the job.
Reports
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