Regulation
Scottish solicitors to receive Covid cut to cost of practising
The Law Society of Scotland has again reduced the cost of practising in recognition of the impact of Covid-19 on its members – in contrast with its counterpart in England and Wales.
FCA launches crackdown on claims management ‘phoenixing’
The Financial Conduct Authority has launched a crackdown on ‘phoenixing’ involving claims management companies specialising in financial services.
CLC to introduce ‘polluter pays’ to cover cost of Legal Ombudsman
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers is set to become the first regulator to introduce a ‘polluter pays’ element to how it recovers the cost of the Legal Ombudsman from those it regulates.
SRA and BSB change approaches to gender in diversity surveys
Both the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board are this year changing their approach to recording the sex and gender identity of those they regulate, it has emerged.
Non-solicitors sanctioned by SRA for range of misconduct
The SRA has banned a host of non-solicitors from working in the profession for misconduct ranging from taking money and fabricating correspondence to accepting a £20,000 gift from a client.
Barrister reprimanded for talking to lay opponent without their lawyer
A barrister whose actions in speaking to the opposing lay client in the absence of their lawyer led a court to adjourn a hearing has been sanctioned by a disciplinary tribunal.
Solicitor turned “wilful blind eye” to highly suspicious PI claims
A solicitor who turned “a wilful blind eye to the obvious suspicious circumstances” of dozens of virtually identical personal injury claims has been handed a £35,000 fine.
Solicitor who deliberately misled High Court struck off
A former partner at US firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher found by a High Court judge to have deliberately misled the court has now been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
“Reflect on your ethics” says one barrister to another after Twitter exchange
A barrister suing her chambers and Stonewall has told counsel for the LGBT charity to “reflect on her ethics” after the latter engaged with her on Twitter.
CILEX lawyers turning away from criminal work, government warned
CILEX has added its voice to warnings that working as a criminal legal aid lawyer is no longer a sustainable career, with the number of members studying criminal law halving in less than a decade.
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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