Legal Services

The government has awarded grants totalling over £6.4m to 18 legal artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics projects.

A solicitor who paid himself £817,000 out of litigation funding schemes set up to back his law firm has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT).

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/solicitor-paid-himself-over-800k-from-litigation-funding-schemes

The justice secretary said yesterday that innovation and technology, rather than significant increases in legal aid spending, are the way to improve access to justice.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/gauke-innovation-and-tech-the-way-forward-on-legal-aid

A decision to prosecute a trainee solicitor for fraud even though she blew the whistle on her colleagues has been defended by officials.

A solicitor who took £90,000 from client account to pay his personal tax bill and avoid bankruptcy has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT).

Two solicitors have been struck off for dishonestly obtaining rail travel without paying – one a newly qualified barely a year into his career and the other who had not practised since soon after he qualified almost 15 years earlier.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/end-of-the-line-for-fare-dodging-solicitors

A young solicitor who was “deceived, pressured, bullied and manipulated” has been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT), despite being the one to blow the whistle on misconduct in her firm.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/bullied-and-manipulated-young-solicitor-struck-off

A dual-qualified solicitor and barrister who was struck off after being convicted of conspiracy to defraud the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has now been disbarred.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/struck-off-solicitor-disbarred-over-legal-aid-fraud

The Law Society has said it is “deeply concerned” that new rules proposed by the Legal Services Board (LSB) could largely prevent it from either lobbying or criticising the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/lsb-rules-could-stop-law-society-from-criticising-sra

A solicitor who took almost £1m from the estates of dead clients has been jailed for six years.