LSB chair leaves with immediate effect
Alan Kershaw thanked for his work in ‘sharpening expectations’ of frontline regulators.
Judgment and order delays lead to sanctions for judges
JCIO says judicial office-holders required to show ‘diligence and care in the discharge of judicial duties’.
SRA bars former law firm boss over client money transfers
Jarmans Solicitors was well known in Sittingbourne, Kent, but the business has since dissolved.
Supreme Court rules on neighbours' boundary battle
Judges find in favour of neighbours who had been using the disputed land in adverse possession case.
Private equity reshapes UK law firms with record investments
Law firm leaders advised to consider the benefits of private equity - but only if they appreciate the risks.
In depth: Law Commission issues proposals on reforming criminal appeals
Replacing the CCRC’s ‘real possibility’ test and elevating more cases to the Supreme Court are among Law Commission proposals.
Ouse-ing personality
Relatively modest Sussex waterway receives a unique distinction.
Cut a long story short? I lost my mind
Hats off to judges who provide press summaries.
Land Registry: error-check service will save 300,000 hours a year
Minor errors and omissions will be flagged up for correction before applications are accepted, HM Land Registry says.
Solicitor admonished for branding obsessed LiP a 'sociopath'
Litigant said solicitor had hatched a plan to deprive him of his estate and mislead court.
Covid inquiry to consider impact on justice sector workers
Coalition of membership bodies representing law centre, housing and legal aid lawyers granted core participation status.
Conveyancing executive used false invoice to repay personal loan with client money
Katie Baxter asked a third party to produce the fabricated invoice for work that was never carried out, the SRA says.
'My name is Amos and I am a judge': judicial guide for writing to children
President of the Family Division Sir Andrew McFarlane says toolkit has ‘potential to change culture’.
Equity partner fined £20,000 for anti-money laundering failures
Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has also ordered the solicitor to pay £10,000 costs.
SRA ready to move on SSB prosecutions
Regulator issues disciplinary notices following investigation into cavity wall claims handling.
Watchdog has 'no confidence' client money is being protected
Legal Services Consumer Panel pushes for mandatory third-party managed accounts to hold client money.
Memory lane
Online civil court proposal, McLibel Two wrongly denied legal aid and a future vision by Labour: a stroll down Gazette memory lane.
Watford firm goes to the movies
Toxic Town docudrama tells the story of an 11-year legal fight over contaminated land.
LSB calls for mandatory regulation of litigation funding
Super-regulator concerned about conduct that 'puts short-term financial gain above clients' interests and duty to the court'.
SRA chief to step down
Paul Philip is to retire this year, the watchdog announced this morning.
Supreme Court should hear more criminal appeals, Law Commission recommends
Proposed reforms to help people challenge their convictions more easily.
Brain injury claim settles for £27.4m after low offers rejected
Case manager had told claimant’s family to switch to specialist brain injury solicitors.
Scotten-free of ‘fool’s’ errand
New York lawyer Hagan Scotten is clearly not a person to be trifled with.
Judges have received death threats, LCJ reveals
Lady Carr speaks of dangers of 'inaccurate reporting' after judge's decision criticised during PMQs.
Business secretary apologises for 'solicitor' claim
Row over former trainee's mis-statements escalates with threat of private prosecution.
Society backs AI copyright reform - with caveats
Chancery Lane agrees with the government that lack of legal clarity is holding back progress in AI development.
SRA awarded £20,000 costs in ‘doomed to fail’ employment claim
Decision follows dismissal of solicitor's claim of age, race and disability discrimination.
Magistrate sanctioned for 'sarcastic humour resulting in emotional harm'
Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said magistrate had apologised for referring to colleague as a ‘trolley dolly’.
SRA tightens intervention grip after Axiom Ince failure
Analysis of reasons for interventions suggests change in emphasis by regulator.
Baroness Carr on the carpet
Lady chief justice shares an interesting fact.
Firm preserves independence with leadership buyout
Majority shareholder sells stake in Harrison Drury after overseeing rapid growth over 17 years.
Government to consult on cohabitation reform
Minister tells MPs there is no need to wait until existing work on marriage and divorce law has concluded.
Badenoch threatens to 'disengage' from ECHR
'International law should not become a tool to advance an activist political agenda,' Conservative leader says.
Applications drop 17.2% at Technology and Construction Court
AI is 'increasingly important' both as the subject of cases and in their management and conduct, annual report reveals.
Firm fined £31,000 for 'disregarding' AML rules over six years
SRA says Manchester alternative business structure's reliance on conveyancing work created a higher risk.
Four in 10 judges fear for their safety
Latest UK Judicial Attitude Survey reveals issues ranging from personal safety to a looming recruitment crisis.
High court orders legal aid firm to pay costs in family case
Judge found the firm was ‘negligent’ and failed in its core duties in preparing case.
Solicitor forced out at 63 wins age discrimination case
Walker Morris tells tribunal it wanted to stop senior partners blocking opportunities for younger lawyers.
£200m Mastercard settlement cleared by Competition Appeal Tribunal
Settlement between Merricks and Mastercard is ‘just and reasonable’, CAT finds after three-day hearing.
Upfront information helpful for mortgage decisions, says lender
Nationwide chief asked about upfront information on latest episode of Digital Property Market Steering Group podcast.
Legal aid appeal succeeds over prosecution evidence
Costs judge finds firm ‘successful (in part)’ in appeal where firm claimed 2,684 pages of prosecution evidence and was allowed less than 10% by Legal Aid Agency.
Solicitor accused of misleading court on firm's financial position
Sandstone Legal saw off winding up petition - but accusations followed subsequent statement.
Lady chief justice rues crumbling courts estate
Baroness Carr says judges 'have often lived with something so long, they’re just keeping a stiff upper lip’.
In depth: Cardiff Civil and Family Justice Centre is falling apart
Leaky roof, missing tiles, inadequate security...the Cardiff Civil and Family Justice Centre is not fit for purpose. The centre’s decrepitude touches raw nerves in Westminster’s relationship with Wales.
LCJ snubs international judicial wellbeing pact
Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill says declaration's objectives chime with work judiciary of England and Wales is already doing to support judges.
SRA delivers update on Post Office scandal probe
Solicitors are also under investigation over their engagement with Sir Wyn Williams’ public inquiry. ‘We must get this right,’ says regulator.
Law firm and partner ordered to pay £53,000 in fines and costs for AML failures
Sanctions imposed for 'failings which continued over a significant period of time'.
Simmons & Simmons sets social mobility targets
International firm wants a minimum of 20% of lawyers from lower socio-economic backgrounds by 2029.
From tragedy to triumph: Lawyer swims 10km with one working arm
Justen Bersin-Taylor spent 10 months in hospital but is targeting a return to work.
MoJ viewing probate progress through 'rose-tinted spectacles'
Solicitors point to cases more than a year old, adding that delays can be costly for grieving families.
Competition Appeal Tribunal urged to approve £200m Mastercard settlement
Litigation funder in Walter Merricks v Mastercard opposes deal, alleging that it amounts to 'capitulation'.
Former junior lawyer appeals strike-off over backdated trust deed
Jack Grunhut, admitted as a solicitor in 2019, argued that his conduct arose from inexperience and lack of supervision.
Supreme Court gives ‘welcome confirmation’ on Insolvency Act
Judgment ‘puts paid to an argument that would have given recalcitrant debtors an obvious route to avoid their obligations’.
Magistrate sanctioned over social media posts on Palestine
Judicial Conduct Investigations Office stresses that magistrates must ‘not comment on matters of controversy’.
Family Division president sounds warning over ‘astonishing’ surrogacy
Sir Andrew McFarlane speaks out after ageing couple commissioned babies from overseas clinic without considering children’s welfare.
AI getting more accurate but lawyers still needed, finds new report
Language model tools score much higher when faced with difficult legal questions.
Mother asks court's permission to 'tell her story' in legal first
Woman 'seeks to advocate on behalf of victims of domestic abuse, helping to educate others', says her barrister Charlotte Proudman.
Matron! Cases for the prosecution
Morton's first day acting as an agent for the newly formed Crown Prosecution Service did not begin well.
How do you like it sofa? BBC lifts the lid
Defence barrister Joanna Hardy-Susskind presents 10-part BBC Radio 4 series, 'You Do Not Have To Say Anything'.
Blooming ’eck. E-conveyancing again?
Plans for breakthroughs in digital conveyancing seem to come into flower once every seven or eight years.
'Deeply caring' solicitor 'blurred lines' between legal work and counselling
Tribunal says solicitor who counsels sex offenders needs time away from profession.
HMRC rows back on partner tax change which could have hit law firms
Tax authority changed its guidance last year to close potential loophole created by excessive capital contributions.
Former Law Society presidents condemn ‘venomous’ attacks on AG
Letter from lawyers to national newspaper warns that media assault on Lord Hermer is doing ‘immense damage’.
Veteran solicitor lied to hospital to find out about client’s condition
Tribunal ends 50-year career of practitioner who admitted acting dishonestly.
Bid to sink Mastercard settlement opens at Competition Appeal Tribunal
Tribunal is hearing an application for a £200 million collective settlement approval order in long-running case.
Council to pay costs for 'improper' private prosecution
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council offered no evidence in case adjourned three times.
Employment tribunal’s miscalculated remedy leads to cut in payout
Oldham-based firm Inaaya Solicitors has now been ordered to pay its former paralegal £39,564 rather than £41,411.78.
Law professor with 'profound sense of grievance' banned from courts
Academic had an 'inability to accept defeat' in her long-running dispute with the University of Warwick.
CMS's head cashier sent money to her own account disguised as 'interest'
Employee stole a 'considerable amount of money' on 124 occasions and took steps to conceal the payments.
Chancery Lane condemns SRA’s client account plans
Law Society responds to SRA consultation on client money and compensation fund.
Thames Water £3bn loan deal did not breach competition law, High Court rules
A group of creditors argued that a competing group was involved in ‘bid rigging’, an allegation dismissed in court.
Concerns about judicial security at 'all-time high' - LCJ
Lady chief justice reveals she has written to prime minister over 'unacceptable' exchange in parliament.
Treasury shut out of Supreme Court motor finance hearing
Two parties allowed to intervene but government and consumer champion are not among them.
In depth: AI regulation falters as UK snubs international accord
Legal controls over development and use of artificial intelligence hit an obstacle last week, as the US and UK refused to back a statement in support of AI regulation signed by 60 other countries.
'Tough on crime' narrative failing victims
Sentencing review chief David Gauke criticises politicians for increasing tariffs without considering wider impact on justice system.
Trainee barred for inappropriate behaviour toward colleague at social event
SRA says behaviour that included touching colleague without consent has had lasting impact.
‘Intensified assault’ on lawyers in Iran
Lawyers who have defended protesters or criticised government policies on social media are among the targets, human rights group says.
Coroner recuses herself over ‘perceived bias’ in Covid vaccine death case
Assistant coroner for Derby strenuously denies allegations about her conduct.
SRA will not enforce £120,000 fine because firm has gone bust
Regulator says there are exceptional circumstances in the public interest to reduce the financial penalty levied against UK arm of US-based firm to zero.
Parties contest points of Nigerian law as High Court hears preliminary issues in oil spill case
Claimants in London seek injunctive relief and unspecified damages from oil giant Shell, which denies liability for pollution.
Society warns against cuts to apprenticeship funding
Some 3,000 people have begun legal apprenticeships so far - but the government plans to exclude level 7 scheme from the levy.
MoJ hails further progress on probate delays
Ministry of Justice says recruitment of extra staff has helped halve waiting times in six months.
Legal centre and barrister cleared of negligence after five-year fight
Claimant had been advised to sell her home but said this was negligence on the part of lawyers.
SRA to bear costs of failed prosecution 'shambles'
SRA officer admitted that she had not carried out ‘wide-ranging investigation’ following firm's self-report.
In depth: Legal policy forum highlights new diversity and inclusion initiatives
The UK’s legal sector is continuing to champion diversity, equality and inclusion programmes as major US corporations, including professional advisory firms, begin to row back on their pledges.
Law firm consultant jailed for GBH barred from profession
Non-solicitor was convicted over incident outside a pub in 2018.
‘Disruptive’ SRA doesn’t understand profession, say Joint V law societies
Representative groups from Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester warn of extra risks being created.
Conveyancing storm over Nationwide's requirements 'grenade'
Conveyancing practitioners feared lender's updated requirements would slow down nearly all transactions.
American Bar Association goes to war with Trump
ABA urges US president to amend order which requires federal agencies to encourage the private sector to ‘end illegal DEI discrimination’.
Barclays reserves £90m for motor finance claims
Financial institutions brace themselves for fallout from landmark commission appeals.