Compliance & Regulation
LSB to identify gaps in regulation that allow unethical conduct
The Legal Services Board is to begin work on identifying the gaps in regulation that have allowed unethical or unprofessional conduct to emerge.
Solicitor fined £9,000 for improper client account transfers
A solicitor who allowed made improper transfers from client account to his firm’s office account has been fined £9,000 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
LSB rejects call to make Axiom Ince review independent
The Legal Services Board has firmly rejected a call from five local law societies to make its review of the Axiom Ince scandal independent.
Solicitor jailed for jury misconduct suspended for eight years
A solicitor jailed for undertaking her own research while serving on a jury has been suspended from practice for eight years, until her ban from sitting on juries ends.
Green light for CILEX lawyers to gain higher rights of audience
Experienced CILEX advocates will be able to apply for higher rights of audience in civil and criminal work soon after the Legal Services Board approved the move.
LSB warns regulators to meet deadline on new transparency rules
The Legal Services Board has warned the frontline regulators that it will take action if they do not deliver new measures to improve transparency around lawyers’ services by September.
SRA hands out fines nearing £50,000 for AML failures
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has this week issued fines totalling nearly £50,000 to two law firms and a solicitor over various breaches of anti-money laundering rules.
Immigration solicitor’s complaints about Daily Mail sting rejected
One of the immigration solicitors caught up in a Daily Mail sting last summer has failed in his complaint about it to the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
Lawyer rebuked for not checking ID of walk-in client
A chartered legal executive who failed to check the identity of a walk-in client who said the firm had acted for him in the past has been rebuked by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
CMA urged to act over lack of progress on lawyer quality indicators
The Competition & Markets Authority has been urged to step in and accelerate the “painfully slow” progress legal regulators are making in developing quality indicators.
CA upholds ruling that solicitor did not condone partner’s £16m fraud
The Court of Appeal has dismissed the latest bid by the insurer of London law firm Jirehouse – whose founder is in jail for fraud – to exclude liability for the multi-million-pound loss suffered by a client.
Solicitor fined £15,000 fine for AML due diligence failures
A partner who failed to conduct proper client due diligence in property transactions that had signs of money laundering has been fined £15,000.
Private client lawyer who pocketed clients’ fees is struck off
A salaried partner who told clients to pay him in cash or with cheques made out to him, which he kept, has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
BSB to scrap requirement for barristers to have a degree
The BSB is planning to scrap the requirement that Bar students have at least a lower second-class degree, opening the way for those with third-class degrees or no degree at all to become a barrister.
First diversity profile of in-house solicitors puts public sector to fore
The public sector is home to a more diverse group of in-house solicitors than the private sector, Solicitors Regulation Authority data has shown.
Blog
The rise of the agent
We believe AI agents are going to represent the biggest change to the way in which the general public interact with professional services business for generations.
The lonely role of a COFA: sharing the burden of risk management
Compliance officers for finance and administration in law firms can often find themselves walking a solitary path. But what if we could create a collaborative culture of shared accountability?
Mind the (justice) gap: Why are RTAs going up but claims still down?
The gap between the number of road traffic accident injuries and the number of motor injury claims continues to widen, according to the latest government data.
Reports
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