The Solicitors Regulation Authority has issued guidance on the new health and wellbeing rules brought in earlier this month. New Code of Conduct rules include specific obligations to treat colleagues fairly and with respect and not to engage in bullying or harassing behaviour. The new guidance issued this month aims to help firms and individuals…
Solicitors Regulation Authority of England and Wales consults on proposed corporate strategy 2023-2026
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has launched a consultation on its Corporate Strategy 2023-2026. The plan focuses on 4 high level objectives: Delivering high professional standards – This means setting, upholding and promoting high professional standards for those we regulate, in a way that is fair, proportionate and robust. Strengthening our risk based and proactive regulation…
The Mentor Chapter Seventeen – For good.
This open letter discusses the need for lawyers to be officers of the court first and foremost before their role as commercial facilitators. Gilbert emphasises the importance of ethical behaviour, and warns against financial incentives which might impede this. He also implores other lawyers to become roles models. Read the full story here.
Characteristics of lawyers who are subject to complaints and misconduct findings
Sklar, T., Taouk, Y., Studdert, D., Spittal, M., Paterson, R., & Bismark, M. (2019). Characteristics of lawyers who are subject to complaints and misconduct findings. Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, 16(2), 318-342. Regulators of the legal profession are charged with protecting the public by ensuring lawyers are fit to practice law. However, their approach tends to be…
Ethical considerations for lawyers when responding to clients with cognitive decline
November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, a time when we increase awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and the more than 6.2 million Americans living with it. And as our population ages, the chances that a lawyer may interact with a client with cognitive decline may increase too. The Alzheimer’s Association predicts that 12.7 million Americans 65 and older (almost 1 in…
Twelve Tips to Help You Avoid Disciplinary Proceedings
No lawyer sets out to become a disciplinary statistic. Some lawyers, however, find themselves corresponding more often with disciplinary authorities than others. Solo and small firm practitioners, especially with practices in criminal, family or personal injury law, receive the highest number of client complaint letters. During the many years of representing lawyers in disciplinary proceedings,…
Scottish Parliament introduces Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill
The Scottish Parliament has brought in a new regulatory framework to change the way the Scottish legal market is regulated. The Bill provides for more competition and innovation in the regulation and provision of legal services. Existing regulators will retain their regulatory function but must become independent from other functions such as representing the membership…
Legal Services Board approves new SRA rules to improve workplace culture
The Legal Services Board of England and Wales has approved two changes to the Solicitors Regulation Authority Standards and Regulations. The rule changes aim to improve work place culture in law firms. The new rules make explicit the need for employees to be treated fairly and for managers to challenge any treatment deemed not to…
Legal Services Board of England and Wales publishes report into CILEX CRL dispute
The Legal Services Board of England and Wales has published its report into the disagreement between the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) and its regulator CILEX Regulation (CRL). The investigation was to determine if enforcement action was needed. Ultimately the oversight regulator decided that matter could be resolved informally. The dispute arose from CILEX’s…
New Zealand Law Society has released the independent review panels report
The Law Society of New Zealand Aotearoa has published the report of the independent panel review. The conclusion of the report suggests that while the current model the Law Society employs for regulating and representing lawyers’ functions well in some areas, it falls short in many others. Chief among these shortcomings in the inability of…