Compliance & Regulation
SDT was wrong to slash SRA’s prosecution costs, High Court rules
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal was wrong to slash the costs of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in a successful prosecution by 78%, the High Court has ruled.
Law firms “may avoid high-risk work” under new complaints rules
Law firms may avoid carrying out work in “high-risk sectors” under the new regime planned by the Legal Services Board for client complaints, the Law Society has warned.
Disbarred barrister convicted over antisemitic blog posts
A former barrister who was disbarred for antisemitic and racist tweets has now been convicted for grossly offensive antisemitic material posted on his blog.
Solicitor accepts “substantial damages” over Times libel
A solicitor whose political ambitions were derailed by a libellous article about his legal work for miners has accepted “substantial” damages from The Times.
Consolidation of legal regulators “may be a good thing”
Consolidation of legal regulators “may be a good thing” if it pulls together knowledge, lessons, consumer research and engagement, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has said.
Bar Council to step up support for chambers
The Bar Council is to produce a set of template policies for chambers and may even set up a Bar jobs board, it has emerged.
SRA: Lawyers “must not trust AI to judge its own accuracy”
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has warned solicitors not to trust artificial intelligence to “judge its own accuracy” and remember that existing AI “does not have a concept of truth”.
Licensed conveyancers being brought back into AML compliance
More than 40% of firms of licensed conveyancers inspected by their regulator in the past year were non-compliant with anti-money laundering rules, a review has revealed.
Transparency rule failures lead SRA to issue first fixed penalties
Three law firms that failed to comply with the transparency rules have become the first to receive fixed £750 fines under the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s new regime.
LSB chief: Profession needs “course correction” to boost public confidence
Lawyers need to recognise that their role comes with “privileges and obligations” at a time of public concern about unethical behaviour, the chief executive of the Legal Services Board has said.