Defending Solicitors' Rights To Practise
Jon Goodwin David Carter Hughes, who is now head of property at the Irlam office of Manchester firm Bannister Preston, was recently issued with a fine of £15,000 for providing incorrect information to 115 clients regarding their … Read More
Following a consultation on the future of ‘post-six-year run-off cover’ (PSYROC) and the Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF) by the SRA, it was recently announced that the scheme will come to an end and be replaced … Read More
A recent SDT case saw solicitor Mladen Kesar issued with a fine and an indefinite Restriction Order after it was found that he used disbursement money received from the Legal Aid Agency to pay office … Read More
During a lengthy 12-day hearing in February 2022, several claims of discrimination and victimisation made by solicitor Mark Gaskell against the Ministry of Justice were considered by the Employment Tribunal in Leeds. Mr Gaskell was … Read More
We recently wrote an article about former solicitor Stephen Acres, who was jailed for stealing from his elderly client. This month we will look at the case of solicitor James Allie, who transferred the ownership … Read More
In what may signify a shift in the way that the SRA deal with conduct investigations in the future, on 29th June 2022, the SRA was given new powers to issue fines of up to … Read More
In a recent article, we wrote about the increase in the SRA’s fining powers approved by the Lord Chancellor, from £2,000 to £25,000, which came into force on 20th July 2022, following a consultation process … Read More
After a Crown Court trial that caught the attention of the national press due to the sheer scale of wrongdoing, a solicitor has been jailed for stealing over £20m from investors. Timothy Schools, a solicitor … Read More
Nearly five years after he was struck off the Roll of Solicitors for stealing money from an elderly client, Stephen Acres has now been sentenced to six years in jail. Many may recall the original … Read More
The annual Mental Health Awareness Week event, held this year in May, is an important reminder for us all to consider our own mental health and that of those around us. This year’s theme was … Read More
On 21 January 2021, in what the SRA referred to as a “clamp down”, they announced they had already disciplined nine law firms for not adhering to rules on transparency. It appears this clamp down … Read More
In the digital age, our actions, thoughts, and feelings are there for all to see on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. Employers are routinely scouring social media accounts of prospective … Read More
With climate change becoming a more pressing issue for us all, it is likely that customers of the future will choose to work with businesses, including law firms, not just on their professional record but … Read More
When reading the Google reviews of many law firms it quickly becomes clear that significant numbers are fake and/or malicious. You can quickly tell this by the number of times law firms have to reply … Read More
Back in November 2016, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) removed the requirement for solicitors to count CPD hours and replaced this with a self-regulatory requirement for legal professionals. They advised legal practitioners to “reflect on … Read More
In a recent speech at the London International Disputes Week, Sir Geoffrey Vos, Master of the Rolls (“MR”) stated that online dispute resolution (ODR) was set to transform justice and lawyers must embrace the coming … Read More
Under the SRA Accounts Rules, law firms are required to “have systems and controls in place to ensure compliance with these rules [the SRA rules] and the nature of those systems must be appropriate to … Read More
A recent Thomson Reuters survey shows that two-thirds of UK lawyers believe working from home has improved their wellbeing. According to the responses, on average, lawyers would prefer to work from home (WFH) two days … Read More
If you have been investigated by the SRA and the matter has been referred to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) it is imperative that you instruct an experienced SRA and SDT defence solicitor. This is … Read More
At the beginning of March, Chancellor, Rishi Sunak announced in his Spring Budget that £100 million is to be set aside to form a Taxpayer Protection Taskforce. A team of 1,250 HMRC officials will be … Read More