News focus: National Conveyancing Week - digital property passport under scrutiny
The draft Digital Property Information Protocol was unveiled for National Conveyancing Week, but many practitioners are unconvinced it is any sort of panacea for the home buying process.
Lydia Srebernjak memorial service
Solictor who qualified at the age of 45 died unexpectedly last December.
HM Land Registry seeks views on fee reform
Views sought on simplifying 'unnecessarily complex' 160-year-old charging structure.
Former Thompsons solicitor to become Wales' first minister
Vaughan Gething narrowly wins Welsh Labour leadership election and will become the first black leader of a European country.
Court of Appeal hears from SFO in former traders’ rigging appeal
Criminal Case Review Commission referred both cases to the CoA following approach taken by US court but there is ‘nothing in judgment’, court told.
Police officer sanctioned for juror contact during trial
Disciplinary panel finds that officer tried to lie about calls and messages to juror.
Renowned arbitrator to speak at London International Disputes Week
The event, now in its fifth year, will be the most expansive yet, showcasing London’s leading role.
'Clever' tactics by Post Office lawyers fuelled scandal, academics report
University of Exeter experts find that case of LiP sub-postmaster shows justice and the desire to win became misaligned.
Solicitor struck off over ‘misleading’ time records
Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal said the lawyer was ‘dishonest by the standards of ordinary decent people’.
Court of Appeal delivers boost for claimant lawyers on costs principle
Judges rule that costs of rehabilitation case management meetings can in principle be recovered.
Jury wrongly directed in former trader’s LIBOR rigging case, CoA told
Ex-traders Tom Hayes’ and Carlo Palombo’s appeals are being heard by Lord Justice Bean, Lord Justice Popplewell and Mr Justice Bryan.
Solicitor suspended for drunken behaviour at Christmas party
Male practitioner approached colleague as she was leaving and asked to sleep with her.
The week in 60 seconds - digested news
A round-up of the week’s news.
News focus: Dr Bitcoin case comes to an abrupt end
Dr Craig Wright was accused of ‘forgery on an industrial scale’ in a case that ended yesterday when the High Court ruled he is not the inventor of bitcoin. The judge found his adversaries’ evidence ‘overwhelming’.
Law Society's fury at legal aid means test reform delay
Ministry of Justice has announced certain reforms will be delayed until 2026.
Ex-barrister sentenced over antisemitic posts
Police trawled through a year of social media and found persistent comments about former lawyer’s hatred of Jewish people.
Judge puts guffawing counsel firmly in his place
Barristers are generally adept at remaining statuesque while their opponents put forward their case, though it was not unheard of for an eye-roll or two to creep in during remote hearings in lockdown.
Judge dashes bitcoin entrepreneur’s ‘Satoshi’ claim
Ruling ahead of written judgment ends six-week case - and Dr Craig Wright’s claim to be ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’.
Funders confident that PACCAR will be 'just a footnote'
Potential for long-term damage should be eased by government intervention, says litigation funding industry.
Burford hails 'record year' as income surges
CEO describes 2023 as ‘extraordinary’, after listed litigation funder reports a near-2,000% rise in net income.
Restrictions on national firm staff following principles breaches
Solicitors Regulation Authority’s decisions related to ‘discrete episodes of individual misbehaviour’, Irwin Mitchell says.
Court of Appeal hears traders’ cases against rate rigging convictions
Lord Justice Bean, Lord Justice Popplewell and Mr Justice Bryan will be hearing the three-day appeal at the Royal Courts of Justice.
From handwritten law report to AI
Exhibition at Middle Temple Library illustrates the evolution of the law report.
Clarke Willmott pays tribute to 'widely respected' planning lawyer
Colleagues 'devastated' to learn that Neil Baker, who join the firm in 1999, has died.
Jury discharged in Duncan Lewis knife threat trial
The jury sitting in the trial at Kingston upon Thames Crown Court was discharged today.
Magistrate with a fighting spirit
Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny Bt was, without doubt, a Renaissance man.
It’s official: we do have second-class courts
One of the headline ‘modernisation’ wheezes for HMCTS unveiled in the budget was ‘reducing spend on first class post’.
Claims firm which reported £1m loss bought out by rival
Deal agreed on Tuesday for Simpson Millar to take on the assets and trading name of Novum Law.
EU’s AI law passes parliamentary hurdle
Measure will outlaw biometric categorisation systems based on sensitive characteristics and untargeted scraping of facial images from CCTV footage.
‘Bitcoin inventor’ using courts ‘as a vehicle for fraud’
High Court hears closing submissions in month-long trial over the identity of ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’.
News focus: More budget blues for the MoJ
The budget included a £55m boost for family justice, part of a £170m push for non-court resolution. But the profession reacted coolly, as day-to-day justice spending is again set to fall.
Cancer charity unable to fund 44 projects due to probate delays, MPs told
Justice committee takes evidence from charities on financial impact of delays in granting probate.
Solicitor's jail sentence for stealing client money was 'merciful', appeal court rules
Hugh Lansdell had ‘considerable’ mitigation but Crown court was entitled to impose lengthy sentence.
Conveyancing week: upfront information at heart of new protocol
Parties acting for seller and buyer given 11 recommendations each to speed up transaction and reduce fall-through rates.
Firm fined £20,000 for inadvertently aiding conveyancing fraud
SRA accepted conduct was not reckless and that the £111,000 paid out had been remedied.
Immigration sting solicitor’s appeal totally without merit, court rules
Practitioner caught 'red handed' in BBC Radio programme challenged his strike off by Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Solicitor tells court of death threat from 'horrifying…stone cold' defendant
Receptionist managed to kick a knife away before a solicitor restrained Cavan Medlock, who denies two charges against him, court hears.
AI will change principles of common law as well as its practice - MR
In his most upbeat speech on the topic yet, Sir Geoffrey Vos says large language model artificial intelligence may become necessary to perform workplace duties.
SRA seized closed firm’s cash to cover its costs
Liquidators considered legal action against Solicitors Regulation Authority but decided it was too expensive.
Clients challenging lawyers' £365k costs denied expert report
Judge says former clients have had enough chances to ask for detailed assessment.
SDT dismisses case against Dentons as SRA left with massive costs bill
All allegations are found not proved following a six-day hearing over ‘insufficient checks’ on former client.
National Conveyancing Week: material information requirement is a 'business opportunity'
National Conveyancing Week begins with discussion on response to guidance setting out information that must appear on property listings.
Education charity calls on volunteers for legal lessons campaign
Law Society and Mishcon de Reya put their support behind Young Citizens’ The Big Legal Lesson.
Tribute: Solicitor and SDT deputy clerk Anne-Marie Roberts
Anne-Marie Roberts, known for her professionalism, courtesy, and kindness, died last year.
SRA investigating why SSB clients are facing huge legal bills
Regulator looking at wider issues around insurance protection for no win no fee claimants.
Employer acting improperly? SRA publishes in-house guidance
Reporting concerns about wrongdoing and handling internal investigations covered in draft resources.
News focus: Initiative to clear rape cases is 'plaster for a bullet wound'
A new initiative to clear rape cases which have been in the system for more than two years is welcome, but lawyers say investment in a dedicated workforce is the only way to tackle the backlog properly.
Back to Blacker
Former solicitor Alan Blacker first came to the media’s attention in 2014.
Judge asks attorney general to identify former solicitor as vexatious litigant
Solicitors Regulation Authority says the ex-lawyer’s ‘unfortunate obsession’ with the regulator and Law Society continues ‘unabated’.
‘Special permission’ granted for law clinic’s family court base
Teesside University Law Clinic says the new family court initative is ‘one of only two similar schemes in the whole country’.
Apathy and ignorance around legal ethics 'root causes' of misconduct
Academic says whole attitude to ethics in the profession has to change.
Trailblazing solicitor judge dies at 94
Sir Jonathan Clarke was Law Society president 1980-81.
The week in 60 seconds - digested news
A round-up of the week’s news.
Legal sector marks International Women's Day
Law Society issues clarion call over retention and promotion while International Bar Association unveils directives to break the glass ceiling.
Greater competition between insurers softens PII market
Number of firms having to close due to difficulties in obtaining professional indemnity insurance has fallen.
Ex-solicitor Blacker banned after inquiry into his advice charity
Charity Commission acts to prevent Alan Blacker acting as a trustee for 15 years.
Revealed: Fines mount up as SRA cracks down on AML breaches
Severity and frequency of fines has risken starkly in the last six months, new analysis shows.
MPs call for Post Office to be fined for delaying payments
Committee also wants cap on victims' legal expenses to be lifted.
Pastures new for solicitor who spent 60 years at same firm
Patrick Burstall, 80, joins another legal practice after six decades at the firm founded by his father in 1946.
Barrister disbarred over fee note
Bar Standards Board says sanction reflects that ‘dishonesty is wholly incompatible with membership of the bar’.
Regard yourselves as regulators, Post Office victim tells lawyers
Lee Castleton says lawyers must act as their own regulators to stamp out bad practice.
Solicitor who cut corners on witness signatures is struck off
Tribunal urges newly-qualified solicitors to exercise caution before professing to be an expert.
Go back to your communities and talk to Citizens Advice, lawyers told
Dame Clare Moriarty says advice organisations are struggling to meet rising demand for help.
Top-50 defendant firm prospering under private equity ownership
North-west firm Keoghs, part of the Davies insurance group, continues to grow income and profits.
Memory lane
Scotland, money laundering regulations and a director general for the Law Society: a stroll down Gazette memory lane.
Budget: Cash for dispute resolution - but MoJ spending cut by £500m
Overall verdict: government ‘not facing up to challenges plaguing the justice system’.
SRA has 'lost sight of context' on prosecution, Dentons tells tribunal
Firm says it did not breach anti-money laundering guidance or rules that were in place 10 years ago.
Judicial blitz on 'stain' of delayed alleged rape cases
Lord Justice Edis says 181 rape cases which have reached or passed their second anniversary will be dealt with by this summer.
Budget: MoJ officials reveal pressures of being an 'unprotected department'
'It is very difficult in a budget like ours to find places to go,' permanent secretary tells MPs.
Magistrate given formal advice for misconduct over council tax bill
Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said the magistrate had apologised for her actions.
Civil legal aid review: MoJ kicks reform into long grass
Ministry of Justice's decision to publish findings in phases raises fears that any proposals will fall foul of a general election.
'We weren't being heard': siblings share family justice experience
Cafcass chief executive shared interview during her Family Justice Council Bridget Lindley lecture.
Budget: legal profession sets out wish-list
Law Society says chancellor should seize opportunity to unleash growth in legal sector.
Decision to refuse relocation to Afghan judge 'plainly faulty'
High Court says it was ‘beyond doubt’ that Helmand Province lawyer had ‘made a substantive and positive contribution’.
Legal secretary barred over county lines drug conviction
Employee had driven her former boyfriend to facilitate his drug dealing on at least four occasions.
News focus: Air taxis test the law
The advent of aircraft piloted remotely with the aid of AI threatens to rip up the rulebook on aviation law, the Law Commission has warned. Knowing what to regulate is fiendishly difficult
US firm's UK branch creates new collective redress force
New firm will practise as KP Law Limited and specialise in large scale consumer claims.
NDA campaigners say case for reform now ‘overwhelming’
Call comes after damning report into non-disclosure agreements by the LSB.
Ex-McKinsey consultant to chair consumer panel
NHS trust chair Tom Hayhoe will replace Sarah Chambers on 1 May.
‘Abusive’ conspiracy claim against top City firms and lawyers thrown out
Case was 'wholly artificial' and based on misunderstanding of lawyers’ role, Mr Justice Fancourt rules.
Global firm made few checks on client from corrupt regime, SDT hears
Tribunal hears that client relationship manager said compliance colleague raising concerns was a ‘prick’.
Rwanda bill 'threatens to undermine judicial independence', UN experts allege
Warnings issued over Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration Bill) as legislation scrutinised in the Lords today.
Companies required to make 'lawful purpose’ declarations
New Companies House powers under Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act come into force today.
Court hears strike-out application in MPs' fight over allegedly libellous tweet
Court told MP Andrew Bridgen is not named in Matt Hancock’s tweet at the centre of the claim.
Drunk law firm employee punched steward at FA Cup match
SRA says rebuke was sufficient punishment for administrator who admitted assault and showed insight and remorse.
Three-partner firm slapped with £23k fine for AML oversights
SRA found no evidence of harm but said failures to carry out risk assessments went on too long.
£70m arbitration award was fabricated, judge finds
Substantial parts of the claimed Kuwaiti award had been taken from another High Court judgment, raising ‘serious questions’.
Legislation unveiled to reverse PACCAR funding ruling
Much awaited law would overturn last year's Supreme Court judgment threatening the future of litigation funding.
Renters (Reform) Bill: Labour promises 'slew of amendments' in Lords
Shadow housing spokesperson says a Labour government would finish the job if necessary to ban section 21 'no fault' evictions.
LSB reveals initial budget estimate for Axiom Ince review
Northern Ireland firm is engaged in reviewing the SRA’s response to last year's collapse.