Barrister and part-time judge convicted of legal aid fraud – Legal Futures

Posted February 16th, 2024 in barristers, costs, fees, fraud, imprisonment, law firms, legal aid, news, sentencing, solicitors by sally

‘A barrister and part-time immigration tribunal judge has become the last of a group of lawyers found guilty of defrauding the Legal Aid Agency by falsely claiming defence legal costs.’

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Legal Futures, 16th February 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

New ICO certification for lawyers gives “certainty” on data processing – Legal Futures

Posted February 14th, 2024 in data protection, law firms, news by sally

‘The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has approved a certification scheme which it says will provide law firms, chambers and others with “certainty” when processing personal data.’

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Legal Futures, 14th February 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Future of compensation fund in question as SRA begins consumer review – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The vexed question of how to protect the public without unfairly burdening regulated solicitors is at the centre of a review of consumer protection announced by the Solicitors Regulation Authority today.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 5th February 2024

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Collapsed SSB “faces up to 1,400 negligence claims” – Legal Futures

Posted January 31st, 2024 in costs, insolvency, insurance, law firms, negligence, news by tracey

‘Consumer claims firm SSB Law, which went into administration earlier this month owing six litigation funders £200m, faces up to 1,400 professional negligence claims, it has emerged.’

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Legal Futures, 31st January 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Law firm “let down” client over bid to propound will, master rules – Legal Futures

Posted January 31st, 2024 in delay, law firms, news, probate, wills by tracey

‘A daughter seeking to propound a copy of her deceased mother’s will has been “let down” by her solicitors in failing to comply with an unless order to issue proceedings, the High Court has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 31st January 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Patent ‘secret commissions’ group claim set for trial – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 23rd, 2024 in class actions, intellectual property, law firms, news, patents by tracey

‘Allegations that intellectual property law firms earn millions of pounds a year in commissions secretly paid by patent renewal businesses are to be tested in a group claim following a Court of Appeal decision.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 22nd January 2024

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

CA allows representative action against IP law firm to go ahead – Legal Futures

Posted January 19th, 2024 in appeals, class actions, compensation, intellectual property, law firms, news by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has given the green light to a representative action against IP law firm Marks & Clerk (M&C) that alleges it “grossly overcharged” thousands of small businesses by operating a “secret commissions scheme” with IP management business CPA Global.’

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Legal Futures, 19th January 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

SRA issues first fixed penalty fine for compliance officer rule breach – Legal Futures

‘A law firm in the North-East has become the first to receive a fixed penalty fine for not updating the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) on information about a compliance officer.’

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Legal Futures, 12th January 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Were lawyers complicit in Post Office’s corporate governance failures? – Legal Futures

‘A solicitor who acted for three wrongly convicted sub-postmasters has questioned whether lawyers advising the Post Office’s board were more motivated by continuing the retainers than giving proper guidance.’

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Legal Futures, 8th January 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Tribunal doubles costs award against “unreasonable” CIty firm staffer – Legal Futures

‘A former employee of City giant Hogan Lovells tried to cause “maximum disruption” to the law firm in bringing employment tribunal proceedings, “perhaps as some form of revenge for his dismissal”, a judge has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 5th January 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Grenfell solicitor wins unfair dismissal claim over redundancy – Legal Futures

‘A solicitor made redundant after her work on the Grenfell Tower disaster ended has won a claim for unfair dismissal because her law firm did not properly consider another role for her.’

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Legal Futures, 3rd January 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

SRA issues first fixed penalty fine for diversity data failure – Legal Futures

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has handed out the first fixed penalty fine for a law firm’s failure to submit its workforce diversity data within the deadline.’

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Legal Futures, 3rd January 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Judge dismisses disclosure application to protect media source – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 2nd, 2024 in disclosure, law firms, media, news by tracey

‘A High Court judge has dismissed a disclosure application in the ongoing litigation involving international firm Dechert and its former head of white-collar crime after finding that even a redacted document might risk revealing a journalist’s source.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 29th December 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Generative AI has turned legal tech adoption “on its head” – Legal Futures

Posted December 14th, 2023 in artificial intelligence, law firms, news by sally

‘The arrival of generative AI has turned the process of legal tech purchasing and adoption “on its head”, the head of innovation and legal technology at national firm Addleshaw Goddard has said.’

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Legal Futures, 14th December 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

High Court strikes out top footballer’s negligence claim against law firm – Legal Futures

Posted December 4th, 2023 in causation, company directors, damages, law firms, loans, negligence, news by tracey

‘The High Court has struck out a £6m negligence claim brought by a former Premier League footballer against City firm Charles Russell Speechleys (CRS).’

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Legal Futures, 4th December 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Leading firm fined £101,000 for anti-money laundering failures – Legal Futures

Posted November 27th, 2023 in fines, law firms, money laundering, news, solicitors, Solicitors Regulation Authority by tracey

‘A leading South-West law firm has been fined £101,357 for failing to act over money laundering red flags on three property transactions, two of which may have involved a sanctioned entity.’

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Legal Futures, 27th November 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

SRA issues report on opportunities and risks of AI – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority has set out its views on the opportunities – and risks – presented by artificial intelligence (AI).’

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Local Government Lawyer, 21st November 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

“Rude and disruptive” caseworker must pay £20,000 costs to law firm – Legal Futures

Posted November 22nd, 2023 in costs, employment, employment tribunals, equality, law firms, news, race discrimination by sally

‘A “rude and disruptive” caseworker who “embroiled” a national law firm in a “vast, unmeritorious” discrimination claim must pay £20,000 in costs, an employment tribunal has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 22nd November 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

High Court criticises firm for private prosecution disclosure failure – Legal Futures

Posted November 21st, 2023 in disclosure, fraud, law firms, news, private prosecutions by sally

‘The High Court has criticised a leading private prosecutions law firm for the information it provided to persuade a judge to issue summonses alleging fraud against three people.’

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Legal Futures, 21st November 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

National firm win costs order over ‘vexatious’ employment tribunal claim – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 20th, 2023 in costs, employment, employment tribunals, equality, law firms, news, vexatious litigants by tracey

‘A national firm has been awarded £20,000 in costs after an employment tribunal found the claimant was vexatious and conducted proceedings unreasonably “almost from their inception.” ’

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Law Society's Gazette, 20th November 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk