SRA overrides opposition to ditch insolvency regulation – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted March 13th, 2015 in consultations, insolvency, news, Solicitors Regulation Authority by sally

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority has ignored most respondents to its consultation on ceasing to regulate insolvency practitioners (IPs) and will press ahead with the plan.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 12th March 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Complaints to solicitors’ regulator over libel demands from Galloway’s lawyers – The Guardian

Posted March 4th, 2015 in damages, defamation, news, racism, Solicitors Regulation Authority by sally

‘Complaints have been sent to the Solicitors Regulation Authority by Twitter users who have received £6,000 libel demands from solicitors working for the MP George Galloway.’

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The Guardian, 4th March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Intervention papers may be destroyed, court rules – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted February 11th, 2015 in archives, documents, Law Society, news, solicitors, Solicitors Regulation Authority by sally

‘The Law Society can destroy 1.5 million files seized from Solicitors Regulation Authority interventions in solicitors’ practices, the High Court has ruled.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 10th February 2014

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

High Court grants SRA power to destroy millions of documents held after interventions – Legal Futures

Posted February 10th, 2015 in costs, documents, law firms, news, Solicitors Regulation Authority by sally

‘The High Court has backed an application by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to destroy millions of documents seized from firms it has intervened in and had to store since, at significant cost to the profession.’

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Legal Futures, 10th February 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Judicial College to train foreign judges – for a fee – Litigation Futures

‘The Judicial College, which trains UK judges, has said that it intends to “introduce a charging scheme for the delivery of international training”.’

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Litigation Futures, 3rd February 2015

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Lawyers and their Regulators: What Next? – Nicholas Lavender QC, Chairman of the Bar Council

Lawyers and their Regulators: What Next? (PDF)

Nicholas Lavender QC, Chairman of the Bar Council

The Bar Council, 24th November 2014

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Rule out notion of costly, one-size-fits-all super-regulator, says Bar Council Chairman – The Bar Council

‘Constantly changing the regulatory regime for legal services is costly and lawyers need time to let the current regime bed in, the Bar Council chairman has said in a speech to regulators and prominent members of the legal sector.’

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The Bar Council, 25th November 2014

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

A spectacularly Misleading Case – nested in a real one – UK Human Rights Blog

‘Hamblen J observed that “the facts…are so extraordinary that they could have come from one of A.P. Herbert’s “Misleading Cases”. Yes indeed. A solicitor decided to make up three years of litigation, writing some fake judgments, pretending to instruct barristers, and churning out fictitious correspondence.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 25th November 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

SRA takes 550 days from first report to refer solicitors to disciplinary tribunal – Legal Futures

‘The time taken between serious misconduct being reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and a referral to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) is 550 days, the regulator has revealed.’

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Legal Futures, 18th November 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

BSB to “consider future” of Bar Professional Training Course – Legal Futures

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) launched its ‘future Bar training’ programme this morning, which includes “considering the future of the Bar Professional Training Course” (BPTC).’

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Legal Futures, 31st October 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Will scrapping the CPD requirement reduce the quality of lawyers? – The Futures of Law

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has pledged to scrap its requirement for solicitors to complete 16 hours of continuing professional development (CPD), describing its existing system as little more than a “box ticking” exercise. The SRA believes revoking the current system will provide greater flexibility, but Nicholas Lakeland, partner and head of the employment and pensions team at Silverman Sherliker LLP, fears it may well lead to a real reduction in training.’

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The Future of Law, 22nd October 2014

Source: www.blogs.lexisnexis.co.uk

Winehouse row coroner sanctioned by SRA – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 8th, 2014 in coroners, employment, inquests, news, Solicitors Regulation Authority by sally

‘The coroner whose improper appointment of his wife led to the inquest into the death of singer Amy Winehouse being reheard has been sanctioned by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 7th October 2014

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

SRA fines firm £2,000 for £2.5m stamp duty avoidance schemes – Legal Futures

‘Leading Surrey firm Mundays has been fined £2,000 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for using stamp duty land tax (SDLT) avoidance schemes which saved clients over £2.5m.’

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Legal Futures, 3rd October 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Accountant’s reports safe from public exposure after FoI ruling – Legal Futures

‘The Law Society’s freedom of information adjudicator has rejected a bid to open up public access to accountant’s reports submitted to the Solicitors Regulation Authority.’

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Legal Futures, 20th August 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Solicitors Regulation Authority names first non-lawyer chair – Legal Futures

‘Enid Rowlands, an existing member of the board of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), has been named as its first non-lawyer chair.’

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Legal Futures, 24th June 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Solicitors Regulation Authority ‘not racist’ but black solicitors treated harshly – The Independent

‘The body that investigates solicitors has been cleared of institutional racism despite an independent inquiry concluding that it disproportionately pursues black and minority ethnic (BME) lawyers for alleged wrongdoing.’

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The Independent, 14th March 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Flawed SRA investigation leads tribunal to strike out case – Legal Futures

‘The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has taken the unusual step of striking out a case against two solicitors in the middle of the hearing, after the integrity of the investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) was thrown into question.’

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Legal Futures, 14th March 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Regulators reject plans for a legal education training council – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 22nd, 2013 in legal education, news, Solicitors Regulation Authority by sally

“Regulators have rejected plans for a legal education council as a ‘distracting talking shop’. The council was proposed in the report of the Legal Education and Training Review in June.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 21st October 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

LSB sparks fresh independence row with call for regulators to have lay chairs – Legal Futures

“The frontline regulators need lay chairs at the helm so as to cut the ‘overly strong ties’ that still exist with their branches of the profession and have held back change, the Legal Services Board (LSB) said yesterday.”

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Legal Futures, 9th October 2013

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Law firm shut down after top judge’s complaint over ‘untruthful’ asylum case – Daily Telegraph

“A law firm has been closed down after one of the country’s most senior judges asked regulators to investigate its last-minute bids to block the deportation of failed asylum seekers.”

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Daily Telegraph, 4th September 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk