Misconduct: ‘No simple explanation’ for race bias in complaints – Law Society’s Gazette

‘”Socio-cognitive biases” could account for the over-representation of Black, Asian and minority ethnic solicitors in complaints about potential misconduct raised with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 23rd June 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Unregulated legal services firms “want more regulation” – Legal Futures

‘Most unregulated legal services firms support “some aspects of regulation” for their areas but there is not a clear case for major reform, a report for the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has concluded.’

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Legal Futures, 14th June 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Workplace bullying in law firms – a new frontier? – Kingsley Napley

‘Richard Fox, Jessica Clay and Lucinda Soon discuss what constitutes workplace bullying in light of the recent high-profile case against former justice secretary Dominic Raab.’

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Kingsley Napley, 19th May 2023

Source: www.kingsleynapley.co.uk

SRA to publish salaries of fined solicitors – Legal Futures

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is to publish the salaries of the solicitors it fines and impose ‘default salaries’ on those who refuse to reveal them.’

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Legal Futures, 1st June 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Bogus solicitor jailed for posing as lawyer in court case – BBC News

‘A “comprehensively dishonest” man who posed as a solicitor in court despite having no legal qualifications has been jailed for 10 months.’

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BBC News, 25th May 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Law firms and preventing sexual harassment in the workplace – Kingsley Napley Employment Law Blog

‘Sexual harassment in the workplace has attracted growing concern globally over the past five years. The House of Commons Women and Equalities Select Committee (WESC) inquiry in July 2018 triggered a parliamentary debate around the need for stricter duties for employers to prevent unwanted sexual behaviour at work. In parallel, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has prioritised tackling sexual misconduct in law firms and recent changes to its Codes of Conduct emphasise the expectation on firms to foster a culture of zero tolerance to counter-inclusive behaviours, including sexual misconduct.’

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Kingsley Napley Employment Law Blog, 23rd May 2023

Source: www.kingsleynapley.co.uk

Law Society: Climate change a “valid” reason to reject clients – Legal Futures

‘Climate-related issues may be “valid considerations” for law firms in deciding whether to act for potential clients, the Law Society has said.’

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Legal Futures, 19th April 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

New ‘failure to prevent’ offence tabled – Law Society’s Gazette

‘A new offence of failure to prevent fraud will be created by an amendment to the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill tabled by the government today. Under the measure, an organisation where a fraud has been committed must be able to demonstrate that it had ‘reasonable measures in place to deter the offending’ or be liable to an unlimited fine.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 11th April 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

SLAPPs – defamation, privacy, public participation and reform – Mills & Reeve

‘SLAPPs – what are they? If you’ve asked yourself that question, it’s most likely a good thing. In this article we take a look at the impact of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), which present an important issue within society, politics and the legal profession, particularly in a libel and privacy context.’

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Mills & Reeve, 14th March 2023

Source: www.mills-reeve.com

SRA wins approval to destroy 765,000 files from shut-down firms – Legal Futures

‘The High Court has given the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) permission to destroy immediately around 765,000 files it is storing after intervening in law firms in recent years.’

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Legal Futures, 3rd March 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Slips and SLAPPs – SRA review finds good level of compliance – Legal Futures

‘There is an increasing trend of firms threatening to report their opponents to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) as a litigation tactic, solicitors have told the regulator.’

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Legal Futures, 14th February 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

SRA to keep many disciplinary decisions online for longer – Legal Futures

‘Details of many disciplinary and other regulatory actions taken by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) will be published for longer than they are now, the regulator has decided.’

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Legal Futures, 15th February 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Number of SRA investigations into SLAPPs continues to rise – Legal Futures

‘The number of law firms being investigated for possible misconduct relating to strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) has doubled since the summer to 40, the chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) revealed yesterday.’

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Legal Futures, 25th January 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Firm handed largest-ever fine for transparency rules non-compliance – Legal Futures

Posted January 20th, 2023 in fines, law firms, news, solicitors, Solicitors Regulation Authority by tracey

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has fined a law firm that did not comply with its transparency rules £3,500, the highest penalty it has issued for the offence.’

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Legal Futures, 20th January 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Government to give SRA power to demand more information from firms – Legal Futures

Posted January 19th, 2023 in bills, law firms, news, Solicitors Regulation Authority by tracey

‘The government is to extend the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) powers to demand information from solicitors and firms beyond money laundering matters to economic crime more generally.’

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Legal Futures, 19th January 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

SRA imposes record £20,000 fine for AML failings – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 19th, 2023 in fines, law firms, money laundering, news, Solicitors Regulation Authority by tracey

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority has fined a firm a record £20,000 for failing to have anti-money laundering training and systems in place.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 18th January 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

LawtechUK: Regulatory risks of AI “inhibiting law firm adoption” – Legal Futures

‘Hesitation about adopting artificial intelligence (AI) by law firms nervous of the risks presented by a regulatory grey area is causing a bottleneck that needs to be cleared, according to LawtechUK.’

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Legal Futures, 18th January 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Law firm fined record £20,000 for “reckless” AML breaches – Legal Futures

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has fined an Oxfordshire law firm £20,000 after finding it “reckless” in failing to comply with the anti-money laundering (AML) requirements.’

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Legal Futures, 18th January 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

SRA sanctioned for wrongly publishing trainee’s ban – Legal Futures

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has been sanctioned in costs after prematurely stating on its website that it had banned a former trainee solicitor from working for law firms.’

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Legal Futures, 16th January 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

SRA can enforce costs order against solicitor struck off in 2010 – Legal Futures

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) can enforce a £15,000 costs order against a struck-off solicitor more than 12 years after it was made, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 6th January 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk