Compliance & Regulation
Solicitor used LPA to steal cash from vulnerable client
A solicitor who stole cash from a vulnerable client using her debit card while acting under a lasting power of attorney has been struck off.
Solicitor persuaded vulnerable client to send him explicit photos
A solicitor who misled a vulnerable family law client into sending explicit photographs of herself to his personal mobile phone has been struck off.
Number of complaints to law firms up 20% in five years
The number of complaints received by law firms went up by about a fifth between 2019 and 2023, the SRA has found – but averages out only at four per practice.
SRA falling short on key target for progressing investigations
Efforts by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to speed up investigations are falling short of some of the targets introduced last year, it has emerged.
BSB board and staff at odds over transferring foreign lawyers
Members of the BSB clashed with senior staff last week over how to deal with the large number of foreign lawyers seeking to be called in England and Wales but who do not intend to practise here.
Law firm fined £12,400 for not making good on undertakings
A law firm in Nottingham that failed to perform undertakings it gave on two property transactions – allowing another party to register a charge on one of them – has been fined £12,400.
Profession to pay for firm failures as compensation fund levy soars
The SRA has proposed a 336% hike in compensation fund contributions for law firms in the wake of the spiralling cost of law firm failures.
SRA places controls on head of department who misued blue badge
A senior law firm staff member who used her late mother’s disabled badge to park in a disabled bay close to its offices has been placed under controls imposed by the SRA.
Suspension for barrister who failed to pay former law firm partner
A barrister who failed to comply with a court order to pay £54,600 to a former salaried partner in his law firm has been suspended for six months by a Bar disciplinary tribunal.
Lawyers and CMCs face £250 fee to complain to Financial Ombudsman
Lawyers and claims management companies making volume complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service on behalf of clients will be charged £250 per case, it has proposed.
Blog
Five key issues to consider when adopting an AI-based legal tech
As generative AI starts to play a bigger role in our working lives, there are some key issues that your law firm needs to consider when adopting an AI-based legal tech.
Bulk litigation – not always working in consumers interests
For consumers to get the benefit, bulk litigation needs to be done well, and we are increasingly concerned that there are significant problems in some areas of this market.
ABSs, cost and audits – fixing regulation after Axiom Ince
A feature of law firm collapses and frauds has sometimes been the over-concentration of power in outdated and overburdened systems of control.
Reports
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