Defending Solicitors' Rights To Practise
Article Summary The High Court has ruled that a section 44B notice cannot require production of a client’s privileged material unless the client waives privilege. The SRA has been granted a leapfrog certificate to seek … Read More
A Law Society Gazette roundtable discussion earlier this year brought together representatives of mid-size firms and other industry participants to discuss AI adoption, governance, and its impact on training and talent, amongst other things. The … Read More
The Office for Legal Complaints (OLC), which oversees the Legal Ombudsman service, has launched a consultation proposing a significant overhaul of its case fee structure. The changes are designed to incentivise firms to resolve complaints … Read More
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 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
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
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
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
In November 2024, the SRA published a new consultation entitled “Client money in legal services – safeguarding consumers and providing redress: The model of solicitors holding client money” on possible changes to how and when … Read More
The SRA has published new guidance that is specifically intended to help, guide, and support in-house solicitors operating in England and Wales. The in-house legal guidance is based on feedback following stakeholder feedback on drafts … Read More
True to their word, the SRA has started 2024 by cracking down hard on law firm anti-money laundering (AML) non-compliance. In October 2023, the SRA issued a warning notice regarding client and matter risk assessments, … Read More
In January 2024, the SRA announced it had written to over 1,000 law firms to provide guidance on complying with the UK’s financial sanctions regime. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) has a wide … Read More
In December 2022, the SDT struck Ian Caunt Wilson from the Roll of Solicitors following a referral by the SRA relating to hundreds of unpresented disbursement cheques found in a filing cabinet. The allegations brought … 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
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
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