Compliance & Regulation

Lawyers can sometimes be “too inclined” to act unethically or use a “mistaken” adherence to an overly narrow view of the rule of law to justify questionable conduct, major new research has said.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has decided against making an unprecedented mid-year call on the profession to bolster its Compensation Fund in wake of Axiom Ince’s collapse.

Libel law firms continue to mislead journalists and others that their letters cannot be published and the SRA needs to act, high-profile tax lawyer Dan Neidle said yesterday.

A solicitor MP yesterday clashed with the leaders of CILEX over the body’s planned reforms, including using the title ‘chartered lawyer’ and creating chartered paralegals.

A solicitor who threatened another law firm with criminal proceedings if it did not settle a negligence claim, when in reality that would not happen, has been rebuked by the SRA.

The number and “shamelessness” of SLAPPs has grown but there has been no disciplinary action against the lawyers responsible for how they are run, a major conference heard yesterday.

A veteran barrister who used a German accent during proceedings before magistrates and raised his hand to the bench in a Nazi salute, has been reprimanded by a Bar disciplinary tribunal.

A leading South-West law firm has been fined £101,357 for failing to act over money laundering red flags on three property transactions, two of which may have involved a sanctioned entity.

The Legal Services Board is considering a 14% increase in its budget in a bid to strengthen its “direct oversight” of the frontline regulators’ performance.

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 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.

A former barrister who was disbarred for antisemitic and racist tweets has now been convicted for grossly offensive antisemitic material posted on his blog.

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” if it pulls together knowledge, lessons, consumer research and engagement, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has said.

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.