In her opening address at the General Counsel Summit on August 7, 2023, Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) Deputy Chair Sarah Court outlined for lawyers working in the companies it regulates, how it intended to approach enforcement over the coming year. Ms Court highlighted greenwashing, where misleading environmental claims by companies can significantly impact…
The Solicitors Regulation Authority of England and Wales has appointed a team of researchers to examine why ethnic minority solicitors are overrepresented in enforcement processes
The SRA has appointed a research team to help it better understand why there is an overrepresentation of those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds in reports made to it and subsequently its enforcement proceedings. Experts from a consortium from the universities of York, Cardiff and Lancaster, have come together to carry out the…
Making sense of professional enablers’ involvement in laundering organized crime proceeds and of their regulation
Money laundering has ascended the enforcement and criminological agenda in the course of this century, and has been accompanied by an increased focus on legal professionals as ‘enablers’ of crime. This article explores the dynamics of this enforcement, media and political agenda, and how the legal profession has responded in the UK and elsewhere, within…
Solicitors Regulation Authority publishes data on the profile of solicitors in its enforcement processes
As part of its wider work on providing clear reporting on the operational aspects of its work, the Solicitors Regulation Authority of England and Wales (SRA) have published their second annual report on their enforcement activities. The ‘Upholding Professional Standards’ report summarises the handling of over 9,500 reports and 3,600 investigations in the 2018/19 period….
Enforcing legal conduct to protect quality of legal services
Enforcement of professional codes and laws of conduct is a critical facet of legal regulation. Lawyer misconduct can have severe ramifications for consumers and the wider legal services market, eroding the reputation of the industry and jurisdiction. However, the processes and protocols for reporting misconduct by a legal service provider is often difficult or lengthy…