Solicitors

Flexible lawyering business LOD has launched an unregulated law firm, staffed entirely by former in-house solicitors, to help companies with “everyday in-house work”.

A solicitor who carried on practising for almost five months after his practising certificate and indemnity insurance expired has been struck off.

A young solicitor who botched the backdating of legal aid forms and then lied about it to his employer has agreed to leave the profession.

The Legal Services Board is ramping up pressure on the Law Society, the Bar Council and other approved regulators over ensuring the independence of their regulatory arms.

There are no special rules allowing regulators such as the Financial Reporting Council to override the protection of legal professional privilege, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

A solicitor who sent “inappropriate, derogatory and offensive emails” to a client and his mother, describing him as a “sad and pathetic man”, has been censured by a tribunal.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority could face a cash shortage if the new anti-money laundering rules increase the number of firms it supervises, it has warned.

Pass rates on the legal practice course have fallen significantly, while the achievement gap between white and ethnic minority students remains large, new research has found.

A north-west law firm has launched a referral scheme for other solicitors, against a national backdrop where the survival of networks formerly in Pannone’s Connect2Law suggests the model is alive and well.

A solicitor claiming to have become overwhelmed by pressure of work has been struck off after misleading clients that she had made court applications – even faking an email in one instance.

A partner who overcharged clients and then lied to the Solicitors Regulation Authority about sending bills to them has been struck off. A fellow partner was suspended for failing to stop this.

An insurance intermediary in the City of London has opened the door to the new breed of freelance solicitors by launching the first indemnity cover for them.

A former head of private client accused of overcharging an estate by up to £30,000 when acting as executor has been cleared of misconduct by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.

A non-lawyer owner of an alternative business structure responsible for multiple rule breaches – including a £3.6m shortfall on his firm’s client account – has been banned.

A solicitor who employed a banned barrister as a consultant without checking his identity or his record with the Bar Standards Board has been fined £20,000.