Solicitors
Firm told to compensate transgender client for using birth name
A law firm that addressed a transgender woman by her birth name has been ordered to pay compensation by the Legal Ombudsman.
Solicitor agrees to quit roll over pre-retirement error
A solicitor who was trying to close files ahead of his retirement has agreed to remove himself from the roll after he wrote in a false attestation clause for an executors’ oath.
Solicitor rebuked after drink-driving conviction
A partner at national firm TLT has accepted a rebuke from the SRA after he was convicted of drink driving, while a conveyancing clerk jailed for mortgage fraud has been banned from the profession.
SRA and BSB praised for enforcement processes
The Legal Services Board has given both the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board a clean bill of health in the way they enforce their rules.
More unregulated business granted SRA waivers for legal work
Three more unregulated businesses have been given the green light to offer unreserved legal services to the public through practising solicitors, in the new tranche of waivers issued by the regulator.
Solicitors permanently disqualified as charity trustees
Two solicitors fined by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal last summer have now been permanently disqualified as trustees by the Charity Commission in an unrelated matter.
SRA finally names the day when new rulebook comes into force
The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s new rulebook will come into force some six months later than originally expected. Meanwhile, it has unveiled a new push to check firms’ anti-money laundering compliance.
Some conveyancers “too close to developer clients”, MPs warn
Some conveyancing solicitors have become “too close to developers” and do not put their clients’ interests first, MPs claimed today. They suggested solicitors should part-fund compensation for mis-sold leases.
“No ethical leadership”: Law Society blasted over NDA guidance
Law Society guidance on the use of non-disclosure agreements demonstrates an absence of “ethical leadership” and shows why the profession cannot be allowed to sort such issues on its own.
Solicitor “told client” to pay fees into personal bank account
A solicitor who told a client to pay his firm’s fees into his personal bank account has been struck off. A tribunal did not believe his claim that he had done so mistakenly due to “considerable fatigue”.
Irish solicitor rebuked for practising in England and Wales
An Irish solicitor who acted in negligence proceedings against a law firm in England without the right to practise here has been rebuked and fined by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Record fine for law firm acting on mis-sold PPI claims
A law firm that specialised in mis-sold PPI cases has been fined a record £125,000 for a raft of rule breaches, including sending millions of misleading and unsolicited marketing letters.
Solicitor banned as director after firm shut down owing £1m
A solicitor whose conduct fell “significantly below the standards of probity expected of a company director”, particularly given his legal experience, has been banned from acting as a director.
Solicitors worried about impact of new SRA rulebook
Nearly two-thirds of solicitors at smaller firms are concerned about the impact of the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s new rulebook, and much more than about Brexit, research has found.
Former City partner who operated “under the radar” struck off
A former City partner who operated “under the radar”, concealing the unauthorised and unregulated status of his firm, has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.