Solicitors

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has savaged two witnesses who gave evidence on behalf of the Solicitors Regulation Authority against a Yorkshire sole practitioner.

A solicitor who helped himself to almost £88,000 from a dementia victim for whom he was acting under a power of attorney has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.

A solicitor has been sanctioned for sending a client a cheque for his damages which bounced – one of four regulatory settlement agreements reached by the SRA with solicitors and a firm.

A partner who said she felt “threatened and intimidated” by clients who would not accept her advice to discontinue has been struck off for lying about the progress of their cases.

A partner who misled beneficiaries about the progress of a case to resolve a dispute over estate assets and then found himself “too embarrassed” to tell them the truth has been struck off.

The combination of the new Standards and Regulations and the Solicitors Qualifying Exam “will drastically increase the supply of lawyers”, the European head of Rocket Lawyer has predicted.

A veteran solicitor who failed to complete several probate matters promptly – with one taking 15 years – has been fined by a tribunal. He said it had been a case of “out of sight out of mind”.

The High Court has ordered a former partner to shoulder the £182,000 costs of the Solicitors Regulation Authority shutting down his law firm in the first case of its kind.

An employee in the London office of US law firm WilmerHale whose drunken actions on a transatlantic plane caused it to turn back has been rebuked and fined by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has rejected four allegations of multiple rule breaches against a solicitor because they were so badly drafted by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Listed law firm Ince Group is examining how it could take advantage of the new rules allowing solicitors to practise from unregulated businesses, it said today as it announced strong half-year results.

An online-only law school entered the market yesterday to deliver the new Solicitors Qualifying Examination, with heavyweight backing from leading academics and lawyers.

A solicitor who helped a client conceal from her “controlling” husband the full amount of damages she received in settling a personal injury claim has been struck off.

The new rules allowing solicitors to work from unregulated businesses open up several opportunities for solicitors – including working with or in competition with barristers, specialists have predicted.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s new rulebook – Standards and Regulations (STaRs) – comes into force today, with experts highlighting several areas of significant change and opportunity for firms.