“Ground down” veteran barrister fined for direct access offences – Legal Futures

‘A veteran barrister has been fined £4,250 by a Bar disciplinary tribunal for carrying out litigation without authorisation and handling client money on behalf of a direct access client.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 26th April 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

“Dishonest” ABS owner banned for multiple breaches – Legal Futures

‘A non-lawyer owner of an alternative business structure (ABS) responsible for multiple rule breaches – including a £3.6m shortfall on his firm’s client account – has been banned from working in another one.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 11th February 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

The new Accounts Rules – what can you do? – 4 New Square

‘On 25 November 2019 the SRA Accounts Rules 2011 will cease to have effect, and will be replaced by new accounts rules. In one quarter-stroke of the draftsman’s pen, 52 rules covering 50 pages of single-spaced typescript on pages of A4 will be replaced by 13 rules on 10 pages. The SRA has trumpeted loudly that the rules have been simplified and that they provide greater flexibility. Have they? Do they?’

Full Story

4 New Square, 28th October 2019

Source: www.4newsquare.com

Solicitor jailed for 14 months for contempt – Legal Futures

Posted August 20th, 2019 in client accounts, contempt of court, news, sentencing, solicitors, undertakings by sally

‘A solicitor has been jailed for 14 months after being found guilty on four counts of contempt of court for breaching undertakings given to the court about missing client money.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 20th August 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Solicitor “tried to settle debts with promissory notes” – Legal Futures

‘A solicitor who took the “extraordinary approach” of trying to settle his debts of over £115,000 with promissory notes has been struck off.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 5th July 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Conveyancer who overcharged for search fees is suspended – Legal Futures

Posted December 18th, 2018 in client accounts, conveyancing, disciplinary procedures, fees, news, solicitors by sally

‘A solicitor who regularly overcharged clients for search fees and transferred money from client to office account without their consent has been suspended for two years by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT).’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 18th December 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Solicitor paid B&B and caravan park income into client account – Legal Futures

Posted October 31st, 2018 in client accounts, disciplinary procedures, fines, news, solicitors by sally

‘A solicitor who paid over £100,000 in income from her bed and breakfast and caravan park businesses into her firm’s client account has been fined £15,000 by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT).’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 30th October 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

BSB reprimands added to solicitor sanctions for dual-qualified lawyers – Legal Futures

Posted October 22nd, 2018 in barristers, client accounts, disciplinary procedures, news, sanctions, solicitors by sally

‘Two dual-qualified lawyers have been reprimanded by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) after receiving disciplinary sanctions for their work as solicitors.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 22nd October 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Criminal lawyer who lied in witness statement is struck off – Legal Futures

Posted September 3rd, 2018 in accounts, client accounts, disciplinary procedures, news, solicitors by sally

‘An experienced criminal law solicitor who broke the conditions on his practising certificate (PC) just days after they were imposed and then lied about it in a witness statement, has been struck off.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 31st August 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

“Off-Plan” Investment Schemes: Equitable Compensation – Hardwicke Chambers

‘The SRA has issued warning notices[1] to solicitors regarding whether they should act and how they should act towards their clients in relation to purported transactions concerning investment schemes. However, for many the warning will have come too late since many investors have previously parted with deposits (in some cases amounting to the client’s life savings) in return for worthless insurance bonds and unsecured interests in land or property which are also found to be worthless when the developer defaults on the development and becomes insolvent.’

Full Story

Hardwicke Chambers, 12th July 2018

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Property agent jailed for spending £700,000 of his clients’ money – Crown Prosecution Service

Posted August 3rd, 2018 in client accounts, fraud, press releases, sentencing by tracey

‘A property agent who misspent £700,000 in rent he had collected for his clients has been sentenced to five years in prison today.’

Full press release

Crown Prosecution Service, 2nd August 2018

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Tribunal lifts restrictions on solicitor who “carved out new area of expertise” – Legal Futures

Posted April 4th, 2018 in client accounts, disciplinary procedures, fines, news, solicitors, tribunals by sally

‘The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has removed the conditions on the practising certificate (PC) of a solicitor fined for allowing improper payments to be made out of client account.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 3rd April 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

National law firm fined £20,000 for using client account as banking facility – Legal Futures

‘National law firm Laytons has been fined £20,000 by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) for using its client account as a banking facility for a European network of law firms, a foreign client and a tax practitioners’ group.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 22nd March 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Tribunal lays out Clyde & Co’s “glaring” failures – Legal Futures

‘The failures which led to a record fine for Clyde & Co were “particularly glaring” as it was “a large and, previously, reputable firm”, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has declared in approving the sanction.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 19th April 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Former judge and assistant jailed after stealing more than £700,000 – The Guardian

‘A former judge and his law firm assistant have been jailed for six years each after siphoning off almost £700,000 from clients to hide debts, pay for holidays in Barbados and bet on races at Cheltenham.’

Full story

The Guardian, 27th January 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

District judge conned wealthy clients to live luxurious lifestyle – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 20th, 2017 in client accounts, fraud, judges, news, solicitors by sally

‘A district judge conned wealthy clients to live a luxurious lifestyle and lied to his accountant who then killed himself when he realised he had been party to the crime.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 19th January 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Disciplinary round-up: fine for firm which failed to make client’s visa application and then lost his passport – Legal Futures

‘A north London law firm has been rebuked for misleading its client into thinking that it had made a visa application on his behalf.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 13th January 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Probate manager who admitted 140 “improper withdrawals” from client accounts blamed pressure of work – Legal Futures

‘A probate manager who admitting making 140 “improper withdrawals” over a period of 11 years, resulting in a client account shortage of £730,000, has been banned from working for law firms.

Full story

Legal Futures, 17th November 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

“Fundamentally decent” partner broke rules to keep firm afloat while waiting for legal aid payments – Legal Futures

Posted August 26th, 2015 in client accounts, disciplinary procedures, legal aid, news, solicitors by sally

‘A former president of Bolton Law Society, described by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) as a “fundamentally decent man”, made 61 improper transfers from client account and used a personal credit card to keep his firm afloat.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 26th August 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Bankruptcy trustee barred from charging costs to client account – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted June 5th, 2015 in bankruptcy, client accounts, costs, news, trustees in bankruptcy by tracey

‘A trustee looking after the affairs of a bankrupt law firm has been refused permission to claim costs from the client accounts of the practice.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 5th June 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk