The ABC of ABSs (alternative business structures)
Rachael Eyre says it’s time to look again at alternative business structures (ABSs). The Legal Services Act fundamentally changed the way the legal profession works The 2007 Act created the [...]
Q&A: The Beckwith Case
It’s not often that SDT decisions are overturned on appeal, so when it happens it’s important to see what practical lessons can be learned. The Beckwith case has been one of the most [...]
Don’t leave your junior lawyers high and dry
Rachael Eyre says that a recently reported case of a trainee’s failure to serve a claim form reflects more on the firm than the individual. Junior lawyers are inexperienced and need proper [...]
Law firms cannot act as pure escrow agents – here’s what you can do
You should be on your guard whenever you hear the word ‘escrow’. Law firms are prohibited from providing pure escrow services through the client account. Why? Because pure escrow [...]
What to do when your law firm’s email is hacked [10 steps]
Cybercrime occurs on an industrial scale. Law firms are attractive targets to hackers because of the amount of money that flows through our client accounts and the volume of transactions. For all [...]
The Legal Sector Affinity Group (LSAG) Guidance 2021 – What solicitors need to know [Long read]
This is a transcript of a webinar presented on 17th March 2021 for Jonathon Bray clients. We provide monthly training sessions like this for all retainer clients. Introduction The Proceeds of [...]
SRA ‘Tax Adviser’ Checklist – Use this to see if your law firm’s practice areas are caught [AML]
What’s the SRA ‘tax adviser’ issue? As we previously highlighted (see When is tax advice not tax advice? The implications for solicitors are no joke), it is critically important [...]
When is a breach of the SRA rules “serious” and reportable? [Template decision matrix]
This post was originally written in 2017 and has been updated in light of the newer SRA Standards and Regulations and guidance. Every firm will have a minor SRA breach every now and then, be it [...]
When is tax advice not tax advice? The implications for solicitors are no joke
Most solicitors specifically exclude tax advice in their retainers, unless they have a dedicated tax department. This does not mean that they are shielded from the Money Laundering Regulations. [...]
9 Things You Must Do As COFA [2021 Update]
(EDIT – since this COFA article was originally written in 2012, the regulatory regime for solicitors has had a major overhaul (see SRA Standards and Regulations), but the main thrust of the [...]
