Defending Solicitors' Rights To Practise
Jon Goodwin The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is developing a new risk profiling tool designed to detect early warning signs of law firm instability. This is a direct response to the high-profile collapses of Axiom Ince, SSB … Read More
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has warned that law firms could face the prospect of ‘double jeopardy’ as anti-money laundering supervision transfers from the Solicitors Regulation Authority to the Financial Conduct Authority. Background To The Consultation … Read More
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has published its latest State of Legal Services 2025 report, providing a progress update at the halfway point of its ten-year Reshaping Legal Services strategy for 2020 to 2031. The … Read More
A solicitor’s use of an AI-generated draft expert report has been described as a “gross breach of duty” by High Court judge Mr Justice Waksman at the recent Bond Solon Expert Witness Conference. This serves … Read More
A new thematic review by the SRA published in December 2025 has found that many compliance officers working in law firms feel undervalued and insufficiently supported in carrying out their regulatory duties. The findings were … Read More
On 5th November 2025, the SRA published a thematic review showing that while awareness is generally positive, there was evidence of non-compliance with source of funds and source of wealth checks. The review found that … Read More
In October 2025, the Legal Services Board (LSB) launched enforcement action against the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) following an independent review into the regulation of SSB Group, which collapsed in early 2024. The action follows … Read More
Master of the Rolls and Head of Civil Justice in England and Wales, Sir Geoffrey Vos, has made it clear that the discussion about the role of artificial intelligence in judicial decision-making in England and … Read More
At the end of October 2025, the Legal Services Board (LSB) approved an application from CILEx Regulation Limited (CRL) to allow legal executives to obtain standalone litigation practice rights. The decision follows the landmark High … Read More
On 14th May 2025, the Bar Council of India (BCI) announced that it will allow foreign lawyers and law firms, including those from the UK, to establish offices in India, subject to a number of … Read More
Following the UK Supreme Court’s judgment in the case of Hopcraft and another (Res) v Close Brothers Limited (App); Johnson (Res) v FirstRand Bank Limited (London Branch) t/a MotoNovo Finance (App); Wrench (Res) v FirstRand … Read More
On 22nd August 2025, the SRA published the findings of its latest thematic review into high-volume consumer claims, raising what it describes as “significant concerns over poor practice” among some law firms. According to the … Read More
According to the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), the number of students accepted onto a law degree course has reached an all-time high in 2025, seeing a 10.4% increase compared to the previous year. … Read More
In March 2025, the Professional Practical Experience (PPE) Commission submitted a report to the ARB. The PPE Commission was established by the ARB in February 2024 to review and improve the quality and accessibility of … Read More
In July 2025, BBC Panorama aired an investigation into the use of referral fees and ‘conditional selling’ by estate agents, entitled “Undercover Estate Agents”. It looked at how some buyers are being pressured into using … Read More
In April 2025, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) published new guidance for corporations and businesses on self-reporting concerns about potential acts of serious or complex fraud, including corruption. The document explains the factors considered by … Read More
In January 2025, the SDT released a new set of procedures to streamline case progression and facilitate non-party disclosure. The new procedures are intended to allow parties involved more time to understand each other’s cases … Read More
In February 2025, the SRA published the findings of an independent study into consumer vulnerability in the legal market. The study was conducted by Professor Harriet Pierpoint and Dr Paolo Baffero at the University of … Read More
The SRA has made it abundantly clear that it will take action against any law firm not complying with its AML requirements. Recent regulatory action highlights that even if firms are carrying out the necessary … Read More
The recent High Court case of Olsen & Anor v Finansiel Stabilitet [2025] EWHC 42 has highlighted the potential risk of legal professionals using AI to prepare cases. Contrastingly, in February 2025, in a speech … Read More