The Solicitor’s Regulation Authority of England and Wales (SRA) has published video recordings of its 2020 conference on the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). The SQE is a new qualification system being implemented in England and Wales over the course of this year. Conference topics included provider and firm strategies around the changes, changes to qualifying…
Updated UK national risk assessment of money laundering and terrorist financing
The UK Treasury has published an updated UK National Risk Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing. This follows the previous update from October 2017 and sets out the key money laundering and terrorist financing risks for the UK, and how these have developed since the first publication in 2015. Specifically, chapter 10 documents the…
Entity Regulation, Litigation Rights and the Changing Meaning of Professionalism at the Bar of England and Wales
Abstract Entity Regulation, Litigation Rights and the Changing Meaning of Professionalism at the Bar of England and Wales The Legal Services Act 2007 provided a framework for a liberalised marketplace for legal services. The most significant responses to this by the Bar appear in the Bar Standards Board Handbook, which was first released in January 2014. This included changes allowing…
Bar Standards Board of England and Wales updates Brexit guidance
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has updated its handbook to reflect changes for lawyers practising in the UK. The new rules were implemented at 11pm on the 3st December 2020, and affect Registered European Lawyers (RELs) who are practising at the Bar of England and Wales, and European lawyers wishing to be admitted to the…
Solicitors Regulation Authority publishes compliance officers conference online
The Solicitors Regulation Authority of England and Wales (SRA), has published recordings of their recent compliance officers (COLP) conference on their website. Due to the content of the conference, looking at regulatory and compliance developments, ICLR members may well find the content interesting and relevant to their own regulatory work. Sessions included: Discussions around rule…
Legal Services Board of England and Wales releases ten year report
A new report by the Legal Services Board (LSB) was published on the 25th November, the report is designed to give a review of the legal services sector, ten years since the initiation of independent regulation. The report is entitled “The State of Legal Services 2020” and is made up of a narrative section and…
Bar Standards Board of England and Wales publishes data showing that female barristers and those from ethnic minorities earn less than white males
On the 5th November, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) published new analysis surrounding its data on barristers’ income by gender and ethnicity. The research demonstrates that female barristers are likely to earn less than male barristers and that those from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups are likely to earn less than White barristers….
New solicitor qualification regime approved in England and Wales
The SRA’s new Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) has been formally approved by the Legal Services Board (LSB). The new examination will be officially introduced in September 2021, with the first assessments for SQE1, the first part of the qualification, taking place in November 2021, and the first assessments for SQE2 taking place in April 2022….
Bar Standards Board of England and Wales Releases Report on Bullying and Harrasment
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has released a new report commissioned from YouGov, looking at bullying and harassment within the profession. The qualitative study, was commissioned as part of the regulator’s ongoing programme to address the root causes of bullying, discrimination and harassment at the Bar. The report involved 35 telephone interviews with 30 barristers, and…
Solicitors Regulation Authority of England and Wales Report on Better Information in the Legal Services Market
A new study commissioned by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, has found a number of positive trends in public attitudes towards price transparency in legal services. The report was commissioned by the SRA to look into the impact of the rules, which have now been in place for a year. The rules included a requirement for…