Legal Services

The need for a “strengthened and harmonised regulatory approach” to tackle the misuse of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) is being probed by the Legal Services Board.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/lsb-looks-to-beef-up-regulatory-response-to-misuse-of-ndas

The November 2021 cyber-attack on the Simplify Group – the country’s largest conveyancing business – cost it £6.8m and also suppressed fee income, its annual report has shown.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/cyber-attack-cost-conveyancing-giant-7m-plus-lost-business

Former Banbridge solicitor Paul Downey has avoided jail after admitting he took over £70,000 from a dead client’s estate to fund the running of his practice.

https://www.irishlegal.com/articles/former-northern-ireland-solicitor-avoids-jail-over-ps70k-fraud

A solicitor from East Sussex has been jailed for deceiving clients and stealing more than £1.7 million.

https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2023-04-14/former-solicitor-who-stole-17-million-from-clients-jailed-for-fraud

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) expects to use its proposed new power to demand information from solicitors about economic crime several hundred times a year, it has emerged.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/sra-to-use-new-economic-crime-power-hundreds-of-times-a-year

A disgraced struck-off solicitor has made a “concerted effort” to fraudulently obtain judgment from two courts in a bid to extract money to which he is not entitled, the senior King’s Bench master has ruled.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/ex-solicitor-tried-to-fraudulently-extract-money-from-escrow-account

A partner in a large Midlands law firm, who tried to “trick” an elderly farmer out of part of his protected tenancy in the way he sent notices to quit, has been suspended for a year.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/partner-suspended-for-trying-to-trick-farmer-out-of-tenancy

The insurer of London law firm Jirehouse – whose founder was jailed last year for fraud – has failed its ongoing bid to exclude liability for £6m in losses suffered by a client.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/high-court-solicitor-did-not-condone-partners-16m-fraud

A trainee solicitor who stole more than £100,000 of client compensation to fund a gambling habit – severely damaging the law firm he worked for – has been jailed for two years.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/trainee-jailed-for-using-client-damages-to-fund-gambling-addiction

A solicitor-turned-barrister has been rebuked by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) for sending an offensive email that wished harm or even death on its recipients.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/solicitor-turned-barrister-rebuked-for-offensive-email