Legal Services

A solicitor convicted of seven counts of fraud, involving goods worth £10,600 – including fireworks and tickets for the Grand National – has been struck off.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/grand-national-fraudster-struck-off-as-a-solicitor

An experienced solicitor has been struck off for taking advantage of the widow of a deceased solicitor after being instructed to wind up his practice and deal with his estate.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/solicitor-took-advantage-of-deceased-lawyers-vulnerable-widow

An update to the Civil Procedure Rules (CPRs) in England and Wales has handed fraud litigators a new key to help unmask fraudsters and trace misappropriated assets.

https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/analysis/cpr-gateway-unmask-fraudsters-outside-england-wales

“Potentially hostile foreign powers” could identify weaknesses in the Official Injury Claim (OIC) portal and flood it with “fraudulent claims”, a report has warned.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/hostile-foreign-powers-could-flood-oic-with-fraudulent-claims

Following the announcement of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Mark Fenhalls KC, Chair of the Bar, said:

“The Officers, members and staff of the General Council of the Bar of England and Wales join with colleagues across the legal professions in mourning the loss of our country’s most devoted public servant.

“Throughout a long, loyal, and steadfast reign, Queen Elizabeth II embodied the symbolic role of the figure in whose name justice is carried out with great integrity.

“I have written to offer our deep and sincere condolences to His Majesty The King. Our thoughts are with the Royal Family at this time.”

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is planning huge increases in the fines it can impose for misconduct by wealthy solicitors – from the current £50,000 to £805,000 – while reducing them for lower earners.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/sra-plans-huge-increase-in-fines-for-misconduct-by-wealthy-solicitors

A former City law firm owner has been fined by Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) for “inadvertent” errors in allowing his client account to be used as a banking facility.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/solicitor-fined-for-inadvertent-use-of-client-account-as-banking-facility

Northern Ireland’s legal aid agency has launched a crackdown on overpayment through a new process that will see a random monthly sample of cases investigated to confirm the financial eligibility of the applicant at all stages.

https://www.irishlegal.com/articles/northern-ireland-launches-crackdown-on-legal-aid-fraud

The legal regulators have been given six months to deliver action plans to the Legal Services Board (LSB) on how they are going to reform their regimes to ensure lawyers’ ongoing competence.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/lsb-tells-regulators-to-get-moving-with-ongoing-competence-reform

Lawyers working in large law firms are committed to working remotely from home post-pandemic, with almost half willing to walk away if told they had to attend the office full-time, according to a survey.

https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/lawyers-will-walk-if-hybrid-working-demands-not-met