HMCTS issues update to Probate caveat application process
HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has announced upcoming changes to the Probate caveat application process. From Tuesday 25th October 2022, the process will be updated to become “simpler and more consistent for all users”. Probate practitioners and personal applicants can access the updated PA8A form to apply to stop an application for a grant […]
Money laundering: New Bill to give SRA more power to fight economic crime
As the perpetual war on economic crime continues to be waged, a new Bill introduced into the House of Commons on 22nd September could be set to offer much needed reinforcements to solicitors’ regulators. The government’s Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill 2022 – dubbed the “Economic Crime Bill 2.0 by the Law Society – […]
CLC proposes changes to its ethical principles
An explicit requirement on licensed conveyancers to treat customers fairly has been proposed as part of a new statement of ethical principles by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC). The specialist regulator also plans to make expanding its community – including by attracting conveyancing and probate specialists from across the legal professions into CLC regulation […]
Law Society: SRA “moving in right direction” on consumer protections
The Law Society of England and Wales has responded to a Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) discussion paper on the future of the Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF), outlining three key principles for consumer protection in relation to negligence claims brought more than six years after a firm has closed. Here, Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce […]
SRA fines firm for conflict of interest while handling estate
The Owen Kenny Partnership has been fined £2,000 by the SRA, as well as paying costs totalling £2,000 following an investigation into the firm and its mishandling of an estate. The estate in question is that of a Ms B who left no will and so the estate was to be split between Ms B’s […]
SRA makes long-awaited announcement on future of SIF
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has established an SRA-run indemnity scheme meaning that existing Solicitors Indemnity Fund arrangements, as operated by the Solicitors Indemnity Fund Limited (SIFL), will be replaced with SRA-run indemnity arrangements from September 2023. The decision to introduce SRA-run indemnity arrangements, which will maintain consumer protection for post six-year negligence as a regulatory […]
New guidance spells out SRA approach to sexual misconduct cases
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has produced new guidance on the issue of sexual misconduct within law firms. The guidance sets out what it expects from firms and individuals and illustrates the types of behaviours that are unacceptable and may potentially lead to regulatory action. The number of complaints about sexual misconduct at law firms […]
LSB approves SRA’s practising fee levels for 2022/23
Individual practising fee levels for 2022/23 have been approved by the Legal Services Board (LSB). Practising fees are used to pay statutory levies to the LSB, the Legal Ombudsman, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal and Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision, and to fund representation by the Law Society, as well as the work of […]
SRA reintroduces annual exercise for non-practising solicitors
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has confirmed that, from April 2023, it will reintroduce a requirement for solicitors without practising certificates to apply to remain on the Roll of Solicitors of England and Wales. As a result, all solicitors without a current practising certificate – including those who are retired, working in-house, or who are […]
SRA launches discussion paper on future of SIF
As part of its ongoing work to consider next steps on the Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF) and consumer protection for negligence claims brought more than six years after a firm has closed, the Solicitors Regulation authority (SRA) has published a discussion paper on the options. The new paper explains how further research and engagement has […]
SRA begins research into unregulated legal services sector
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has commissioned independent research to take an in-depth look into the unreserved legal services market across England and Wales. This comes just weeks after the Legal Services Board declined to undertake its own statutory review into the sector. The research will seek to: Better understand the size and scope of […]
LSB sets out regulators’ role in ensuring ongoing competence
Legal regulators must ensure standards of competence are met and maintained under new rules published by the LSB The Legal Services Board (LSB) has today published a new statutory statement of policy requiring legal services regulators to ensure that lawyers have the necessary skills, knowledge and behaviours to maintain standards of competence on an ongoing […]
CILEX moves to transfer oversight to SRA
CILEX (the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives) is in talks with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to explore a proposal to transfer the regulation of its members from its own regulator, CILEX Regulation Ltd (CRL), to the SRA. The aim is to ensure that the regulation of the 20,000 CILEX members continues to be both […]
SRA confirms SIF extension to September 2023
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) confirmed on Monday that the Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF) will be extended to September 2023 following a consultation with the industry earlier this year. The consultation focused on the future of post six-year run-off cover and the SIF. The majority of the 333 respondents did not support ending the requirement […]
LSB unregulated services research reveals potential benefits and detriments
LSB research on unregulated legal services reveals potential consumer benefits and detriments. This is the first time the LSB has mapped the sector on this scale, and it suggests the number of unregulated providers comes from a pool of up to 208,000 firms in England and Wales. The sector is large, complex, and diverse and […]
SRA fining powers increased to £25,000 despite industry push-back
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) will be given new powers to fine rule-breakers up to £25,000, under measures introduced yesterday (29 June 2022). The changes mean the SRA can now fine law firms and individual solicitors for a broader range of offences – from lower-level cases involving inadequate staff training to those with more serious […]
Law Society responds to SRA’s 2022/23 business plan
Solicitors’ leaders are concerned about the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) plans to increase its fining powers by more than 1,000%, as they respond to the SRA’s 2022/2023 business plan and budget consultation. Law Society of England and Wales president I. Stephanie Boyce offered her support for several key elements of the business plan: “In principle, […]
LSB announces no statutory review of unregulated sector
Following calls for increased regulation of the wider legal services industry, the Legal Services Board (LSB) has announced it will not pursue a full statutory review of the sector at this time. In a draft report published this week outlining the LSB’s in-depth examination of the unregulated sector, the LSB cited that its findings do […]
What to expect when the SRA come knocking
Speaking at the recent Legal Eye Annual Risk & Compliance Conference in Birmingham, Sean Hankin, Head of Forensic Investigation and Intelligence at the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), laid bare the powers and practices of the regulator when it comes to inspecting firms. Types of visit AML proactive Hankin ran through the types of visit that […]
LSB competence review: “out-of-date” lawyers must go
As the Legal Services Board (LSB) continues its review into continuing competence within the legal profession, the LSB has said that regulators must ensure lawyers do not operate with “out-of-date” skills or knowledge, the Board said within a recent paper titled “Ongoing competence – Emerging themes from consultation”. The LSB consulted on a draft statutory […]