Tag Results
SRA calls in race relations expert to review its decisions
Tuesday, 7 August 2012The Solicitors Regulation Authority has brought in an equality and race relations expert to look at whether there is any racial bias in the decisions it makes after research showed that BME solicitors continue to be disproportionately represented in its regulatory decisions.
Tags: BME, equality and diversity, Solicitors Regulation Authority
Posted in Latest news, Solicitors
Forget the gold rush – it’s the ABS rush, with three more granted licences
Friday, 3 August 2012The Solicitors Regulation Authority should develop a fast track for legal disciplinary practices seeking approval to operate as alternative business structures, according to the largest of three firms granted their ABS licences yesterday.
Tags: Alternative business structures, Solicitors Regulation Authority
Posted in Alternative business structures, Latest news, Market monitor
Banks warn LSB off seeking to regulate them for will-writing and estate administration
Friday, 3 August 2012It is hard to see which of the frontline regulators would regulate banks if will-writing and estate administration become reserved legal activities, the British Bankers Association has said. It also said FSA regulation covered what the Legal Services Board was seeking to do.
Tags: estate administration, Financial Services Authority, Legal Services Board, Office of Fair Trading, reserved legal activities, Solicitors Regulation Authority, will-writing
Posted in Latest news, Legal Services Board
Financial services change “will spark massive rise in claims against solicitors”, SRA warned
Thursday, 2 August 2012Scrapping the ban on solicitors referring clients to tied financial advisers would “make them prey to every tied or multi-tied product salesperson in the land”, leading to massive claims on the compensation fund and negligence actions, the SRA has been warned.
Tags: financial services, Financial Services Authority, professional negligence, Solicitors Compensation Fund, Solicitors Regulation Authority
Posted in Indemnity insurance, Latest news, Solicitors
Hundreds of firms fail to meet COLP/COFA nomination deadline
Wednesday, 1 August 2012Around 750 law firms have failed to meet the 31 July deadline for nominating their compliance officers, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has reported. More than 93% of firms have completed or nearly completed the process.
Tags: COFA, COLP, compliance officer for finance and administration, compliance officer for legal practice, Solicitors Regulation Authority
Posted in Latest news, Solicitors
And the gold medal goes to…
Wednesday, 1 August 2012Comparisons between the 2012 Olympics and the compliance officer for legal practice (COLP) nomination process are more obvious than you might think: both were years in the preparation, shrouded in mystery, beset by operational PR disasters and, ultimately, over in a flash. This month’s blog brings you live coverage of the five-month dash: that’s how long your COLP has to get the firm’s house in order before they become responsible for compliance. Like bog-snorkelling and extreme ironing, the five-month dash is a niche sport, unlikely to grace the Olympics, but pundits are predicting there’ll be a least 11,000 participants by the end of the year.
Tags: authorisation rules, client account interest, Client care, COLP, compliance, compliance officer for legal practice, conflicts of interest, equality and diversity, fee sharing, outsourcing, reserved legal activities, Solicitors Code of Conduct, Solicitors Regulation Authority
Posted in Blog
SRA and BSB told to improve regulation of immigration lawyers or risk losing their powers
Wednesday, 1 August 2012The Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board have been warned to improve the way they regulate immigration practitioners or risk enforcement action by the Legal Services Board – including the ultimate sanction of losing their ability to regulate the area at all.
Tags: bar standards board, ILEX Professional Standards, immigration, Legal Services Board, Office for the Immigration Services Commissioner, OISC, Solicitors Regulation Authority
Posted in Barristers, Latest news, Legal Executives, Legal Services Board, Solicitors
Confidential SRA research uncovers non-compliance and bad attitudes over complaints
Tuesday, 31 July 2012There is a “small but material rate of non-compliance” by solicitors with their complaints-handling requirements – and some bad attitudes towards complaints – confidential research by the Solictors Regulation Authority has found.
Tags: bar standards board, complaints, complaints-handling, Legal Services Board, Solicitors Regulation Authority
Posted in Barristers, Client care, Latest news, Legal Services Board, Solicitors
Corporate/commercial specialist launches newest ABS
Friday, 27 July 2012A corporate/commercial solicitor has launched the latest alternative business structure with a view to forming partnerships with other professionals. Joanne Bligh has set up Thinking Legal in Birmingham.
Tags: ABS, Alternative business structures, Solicitors Regulation Authority
Posted in Alternative business structures, Latest news, Market monitor
Juniors hire QC as the ‘barrister law firm’ expands
Friday, 27 July 2012rtesian Law, the groundbreaking SRA-regulated law firm set up by six junior criminal law barristers, has named Bryan Cox QC as its first associate member. Mr Cox is a tenant of New Park Court Chambers in Leeds.
Tags: ABS, Alternative business structures, Barristers, LDP, legal disciplinary practice, Solicitors Regulation Authority
Posted in Barristers, Latest news, Market monitor