Legal Services

On the 6th April 2020 the 113th update to the Practice Directions (PD) within the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) comes into force.  While such changes are often dismissed by many as technicalities that lawyers are paid to deal with, these changes could be viewed as a warning of even tougher action being taken by the judiciary on those who give false statements of truth.  The update brings changes to the wording of statements in truth.

https://www.dacbeachcroft.com/en/articles/2020/march/you-ve-been-warned-changes-to-statements-of-truth-bolster-the-fight-against-fraud/?utm_source=Vuture

Solicitors have denounced plans for a levy to tackle money laundering announced in last week’s budget, claiming it will be onerous for firms and will damage the competitiveness of the UK’s legal sector.

https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/city-firms-berate-aml-levy-burden/5103469.article#.XnCC1ICLk40.twitter

Lawyers are to face a levy to help fund new government action to tackle money laundering and ensure delivery of its economic crime plan, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced in yesterday’s Budget.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/lawyers-face-new-anti-money-laundering-levy

An international law firm must disclose documents relating to a failed gold dust investment scheme which showed “the classic hallmarks” of fraud, the High Court has ruled.

A solicitor acting in a property transaction has admitted not following anti-money laundering procedures because her client was a partner at a large international law firm.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/solicitor-overlooked-aml-because-client-was-law-firm-partner

A solicitor who persuaded a vulnerable client to pay £4,700 into her personal bank account, pretending the money would be spent on repairs to a property she had inherited, has been struck off.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/solicitor-got-client-to-pay-cheque-into-personal-account?utm_source=iContact%2BWeekly%2BNewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=legal-futures&utm_content=

The Court of Appeal in London has "reaffirmed the status of legal professional privilege as a fundamental right" in a new ruling that has partially overturned an earlier ruling requiring a high-street retailer to hand over documents to a UK regulator, experts in litigation have said.

https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/news/privilege-rights-sports-direct-case

A solicitor peer has urged the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to act now and simplify the legal regulatory regime, saying nothing will change if it is left to the profession.

The legal sector has been bombarded by unscrupulous cyber criminals in 2019.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/associate-news/bogus-law-firms-and-identity-theft

The Legal Services Board (LSB) is ramping up pressure on the Law Society, the Bar Council and other approved regulators over ensuring the independence of their regulatory arms.