Compliance & Regulation
SRA rebukes Scottish firm over management of client money
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has issued a rebuke to a Scottish law firm for breaches of the accounts rules since taking over the work of collapsed McClure Solicitors.
MoJ warned about impact of diverting law firms’ client account interest
Legal aid firms will be the first to suffer if the Ministry of Justice presses ahead with the idea of using interest on lawyers’ client accounts to fund free legal services, it has been told.
Police office turned barrister disbarred for rape convictions
A barrister has been disbarred for raping a woman, when she was a teenager under 16 and when she was older, while he was a policeman in the 1980s.
Ban for office manager who took nearly £550,000 from firm
A part-time office manager who misappropriated nearly £550,000 from a law firm has been banned from working in the profession.
Two solicitors rebuked for taking client information when leaving firms
Two solicitors who took confidential client information from their former employers have been rebuked by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Gender-critical barrister praises BSB approach to ‘meritless’ complaints
A leading ‘gender critical’ barrister has praised the Bar Standards Board for the way it handles “meritless” complaints after rejecting two made against her.
Consultant-led law firms “pose greater money laundering risk”
The decentralised nature of consultant-led law firms carries extra money laundering risks that mean compliance officers may need to be “more interventionist”, the SRA has cautioned.
SRA to consult on strengthening continuing competence regime
The SRA is to consult on strengthening continuing competence requirements as it was not clear whether solicitors are reflecting properly on their practices.
“Too soon” for struck-off solicitor to apply for return to roll
A struck-off solicitor who has not paid the Solicitors Regulation Authority nearly £65,000 in outstanding costs from his disciplinary hearing cannot return to the roll.
Panel backs making law firms tell clients how to complain at end of cases
The Legal Services Consumer Panel has come out strongly in favour of law firms telling clients how to complain at the end of a matter as well as the beginning.
Blog
It’s time for law firms to ask tougher questions
For years, many law firms have treated ID verification as a box-ticking exercise. Run a liveness check, match a face to a document and move on. But that is no longer good enough.
Business fatigue to AI will risk job security
Whilst we know professional learning has always been part of career paths, to hire, retain and keep talent, AI needs to be embedded as a core part of this training.
On good authority? GenAI and the reputational risks to law firms
As GenAI’s influence grows, so do the risks which are already playing out in courtrooms across England and Wales, where some early adopters are setting precedents they would rather not.
