Solicitors

The marketing chief of a failed Manchester law firm who successfully appealed against an order banning him from working for the profession, has been cleared of all charges by a fresh tribunal.

A disciplinary tribunal has heavily criticised a Solicitors Regulation Authority investigation that was so “flawed” that its investigator’s evidence disintegrated under cross-examination.

Specialists have warned of problems for solicitors arising from the new Standards & Regulations being introduced by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in November.

A survey of home-buyers has issued a “resounding indictment” of the lack of information provided by their lawyers and rising concern about developers forcing them to use recommended solicitors.

An experienced solicitor has been struck off for a litany of failures which showed “chaos and disorganisation” in his practice and included dishonestly under-valuing estate assets by nearly £50,000.

Refusal by the Solicitors Indemnity Fund to accept notifications of potential claims could be “catastrophic” for retired solicitors, a specialist in professional regulation and insurance has warned.

A leading silk who drove his car into a ditch while under the influence of alcohol has been fined £600 by the Bar Standards Board, one of three recent disciplinary cases involving drink-driving lawyers.

A disciplinary tribunal has thrown out as groundless an attempt to bring misconduct proceedings against the vice-president of the Law Society, in a rare private prosecution brought by a former client.

A struck-off senior partner has been restored to the roll over the objections of the Solicitors Regulation Authority, less than seven years after he was first barred from practising as a solicitor.

A trainee solicitor who amended a document in order to mislead a third party has been rebuked and banned from working in the profession without the permission of the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

It was “manifestly unfair” for a circuit judge to issue a paralegal with a suspended six-month prison sentence for inadvertently breaching the Family Procedure Rules, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

A solicitor who offered a client money to withdraw a complaint against him has been struck off. He also created a false settlement agreement that saw a client pay money to a fictitious claimant.

Solicitors who take on the new freelance status may find it difficult to return to working for law firms due to insurance problems, the Law Society has warned.

Solicitors working for unregulated entities under new rules should seek contractual assurances from their employers that their professional obligations cannot be overridden, the Law Society has advised.

The Information Commissioner needs to provide specific guidance to law firms on how they can lawfully share personal data, a leading City law firm has argued.