By John Hyde2020-12-22T12:06:00+00:00
These are often difficult times for the Solicitors Regulation Authority. It is implementing a whole new solicitor qualification; it is under renewed pressure from competition watchdogs to improve access to justice; and it has this year grappled with a new and often faulty system for practising certificate renewal. It has, like the rest of us, had to deal with the fallout from an overnight move to remote working. Indemnity insurance costs are rising, and the pressures on the compensation fund are acute.
Perhaps most challenging is the fact that it may need to reassess its entire approach to enforcement policy following the Ryan Beckwith court judgment, as well as absorb the scathing criticism of the £350,000 costs of bringing the prosecution.
By John Hyde2020-12-21T13:14:00+00:00
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has stated it will continue to act upon allegations of sexual misconduct despite losing a high-profile case in the High Court last month.
SRA board chair Anna Bradley confirmed in a statement today that the regulator would not appeal the judgment involving former Freshfields partner Ryan Beckwith following advice from leading counsel.
Beckwith had been fined £35,000 by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal after he was found to have acted without integrity in his relationship with a junior colleague. This finding – as well as an order to pay £200,000 towards the SRA’s costs – was overturned by the court. Judges said the requirement to act with integrity obliged Beckwith not to take unfair advantage of his colleague, and on the tribunal’s own findings, that had not happened. The tribunal’s final statement that he fell below accepted standards was ‘not coherent’, the court ruled.
Evolution of the human race
Wash your hands, sanitise your screens, and scroll through the highs and (mostly) lows of everyone s least favourite year.
But 2020 wasn t all bad. It was the year that the majority of lawyers said they would prefer to WFH permanently; the year that many firms committed to flexible working beyond the pandemic; and the year that the CMS choir s dulcet tones touched us all.
Once you ve perused the stories, have a crack at the Christmas quiz for a chance to win £100.
January
In those halcyon days when socialising involved alcohol rather than a hellish zoom quiz, Linklaters brought in the sobriety police to monitor staff for inappropriate behaviour, while Slaughter and May banned its ski trips.
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