Firm fined £10,000 for over-charging from damages – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 16th, 2024 in agreements, damages, fees, fines, law firms, news, Solicitors Regulation Authority by tracey

‘A West Yorkshire firm has been fined by the regulator for charging personal injury clients higher fees than allowed under the rules on damages-based agreements.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 15th July 2024

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Judge refuses adjournment in claim against Leigh Day over Shell pollution settlement – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 16th, 2024 in adjournment, law firms, news, notification, oil wells, pollution, service by tracey

‘A High Court judge has refused to adjourn the three-day trial in a claim where Leigh Day is accused of making unauthorised disbursements from a settlement fund in a £55 million case. The Nigerian claimants argued they had not been given formal notice of the trial date.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 15th July 2024

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Firm forced to take action against client’s ex-husband over email error – Legal Futures

Posted July 15th, 2024 in confidentiality, disclosure, divorce, electronic mail, injunctions, law firms, news by tracey

‘A family law firm has had to take legal action against the ex-husband of a client after an associate accidentally sent confidential information about another client to him.’

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Legal Futures, 15th July 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

SRA to appeal decision to clear Dentons over AML breaches – Legal Futures

‘The High Court looks set to rule on whether a tribunal was right to find that Dentons’ breach of the anti-money laundering (AML) rules was “inadvertent” and did not amount to professional misconduct.’

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Legal Futures, 15th July 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Law firms need to act over new duty to prevent sexual harassment – Legal Futures

‘Law firms will need to rethink their approach to alcohol at events as part of preparing for the new positive legal duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, which comes into force in October.’

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Legal Futures, 11th July 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

What is a bill? Costs lawyers urge regime reform – Legal Futures

Posted July 10th, 2024 in costs, law firms, news, solicitors by tracey

‘Two significant High Court rulings in which law firms’ billing arrangements did not achieve what they had intended, emphasise the need for reform of the legal framework around them, the Association of Costs Lawyers (ACL) has argued.’

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Legal Futures, 10th July 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

£36k fine for law firm which let millions pass through client account – Legal Futures

Posted July 10th, 2024 in accounts, client accounts, fines, law firms, news by tracey

‘A specialist sports law firm has been fined £36,000, and its COFA rebuked, for allowing its client account to be used as a banking facility.’

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Legal Futures, 10th July 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Trainee “bullied and unsupervised” in doing work of qualified lawyers – Legal Futures

‘A trainee solicitor fired for raising concerns about her lack of supervision and the poor service clients were receiving from her firm has been awarded damages of £36,000.’

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Legal Futures, 10th July 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Court rejects ‘intrusive’ request in negligence claim – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 10th, 2024 in disclosure, law firms, negligence, news, solicitors, telecommunications by tracey

‘An “intrusive” request for an Irwin Mitchell partner’s personal phone has been rejected by a judge in disclosure talks ahead of a negligence claim.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 9th July 2024

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

“Not just banter” – secretary wins sexual harassment claim against law firm – Legal Futures

‘A legal secretary has won her claim of sexual harassment against a law firm whose owner was jokingly described by a colleague as a “sexual predator”.’

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Legal Futures, 5th July 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Judge rejects defendant’s request to pay law firm’s £2m costs – Legal Futures

Posted July 3rd, 2024 in costs, fees, fraud, law firms, news by sally

‘A High Court judge has refused a request from a defendant in the London Capital & Finance fraud case to use the proceeds of sale of his home to pay his solicitors over £2m.’

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Legal Futures, 3rd July 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Law firm fines should be a minimum of £5k, says SRA – Legal Futures

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has proposed that any fine it imposes on law firms should be at least £5,000, as well as ending fines for solicitors convicted of drink-driving.’

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Legal Futures, 1st July 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Dentons’ breach of AML rules was “inadvertent” – Legal Futures

‘A breach of the anti-money laundering (AML) rules by Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, was “inadvertent” and did not amount to professional misconduct, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 24th June 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Fee earner guilty of contempt over pre-departure emails – Law Society’s Gazette

‘A fee earner who sent confidential information to his personal email address days before leaving his firm has been given an ultimatum to show the material had been deleted in compliance with a court order.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 21st June 2024

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Fee-earner found in contempt over documents taken from law firm – Legal Futures

‘A fee-earner who has not complied with a court order to return documents taken from his former law firm has been handed a four-month suspended jail sentence for contempt.’

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Legal Futures, 21st June 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Ban for office manager who used client money to prop up firm – Legal Futures

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has imposed a control order on a law firm’s office manager who took money from client account to pay wages and “prop” up the practice.’

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Legal Futures, 21st June 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Employment can offer barristers more ethical protection – Legal Futures

Posted June 19th, 2024 in barristers, employment, law firms, news by sally

‘Being employed by companies or law firms can give barristers more protection when faced with ethical challenges than those in private practice, it has been suggested.’

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Legal Futures, 19th June 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

One in four SME law firms yet to embrace SQE – Legal Futures

Posted June 18th, 2024 in examinations, law firms, news, solicitors by tracey

‘More than a quarter of SME law firms (27%) have not yet embraced the Solicitors Qualiying Exam (SQE), and nearly a half are not offering solicitor apprenticeships, research has found.’

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Legal Futures, 18th June 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Law firm fined for allowing COFA to steal £157,000 – Legal Futures

Posted June 18th, 2024 in client accounts, fines, fraud, law firms, news by tracey

‘A law firm whose compliance officer for finance and administration (COFA) stole £157,000 has been fined for not having proper systems governing payments from client account.’

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Legal Futures, 18th June 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Law firm moves staff to four-day week – Legal Futures

Posted June 18th, 2024 in law firms, news, remuneration, working time by tracey

‘A law firm with nearly 50 people specialising in family and commercial work has seen fee income rise after introducing a four-day week.’

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Legal Futures, 18th June 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk