Professional Regulation

 We advise on:

• Professional Conduct issues
• Legal Services Act 2007 structuring and compliance
• Solicitors' Code of Conduct 2007: advice and compliance
• Avoiding and managing conflicts of interests
• Anti money laundering
• Disciplinary issues including representation in tribunals
• Preparation for an SRA visit

Examples of our work over the last 12 months:

PSU visit preparation:  We have assisted a number of firms with their preparations by carrying out a dry run SRA type visit with debrief interview and findings mirroring the way the SRA have traditionally conducted them.  More >

Disciplinary proceedings:   We have represented the partners in a law firm in disciplinary proceedings before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. They faced allegations of significant breaches of the Solicitors Accounts Rules 1998, and failure to supervise a clerk who stole large sums of client money. Frank Maher conducted the advocacy in the Tribunal hearing. 

Referral arrangements: We recently advised a major firm on an investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority into referral arrangements and allegations of secret profits on disbursements.  We have developed an online self audit tool to help law firms meet the SRA crackdown on practices breaching the referral rules. More >

Anti-money laundering: We have advised a number of law firms on their duties to report, and on complex issues of privilege and confidentiality, in relation to disclosure obligations under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and the Money Laundering Regulations 2007. More >

Legal Services Act 2007: We have advised a major international firm on issues arising from the new frameworks of practice envisaged under the Legal Services Act 2007. More >

Conflicts: We have advised a multi-national firm on conflicts issues in relation to opening new office in the Far East. More >

Forensic investigations by the SRA:  We are advising a firm in relation to an SRA forensic investigation into over 600 potential alleged mortgage frauds.

These are typical of the instructions we get.

We are currently representing four top 100 firms in relation to SRA conduct investigations and have recently advised a fifth, as well as a number of smaller firms.

In addition, we provide pre-emptive regulatory and legal advice and assistance. For example, we recently gave a top 25 firm conflicts advice on a merger with a Singapore firm.

Sue Mawdsley has delivered a highly-regarded series of lectures on the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 for the Law Society, and she is in the course of doing a further round of lectures.

The third edition of Risk Management for the Legal Profession by Frank Maher has just been published. We have also published A Practical Guide to Rule 5 (Business Management) of the Solicitors’ Code of Conduct 2007.

Frank Maher and Sue Mawdsley co-authored The Money Laundering Reporting Officer’s Handbook: A Guide for Solicitors. They have been asked to write a second edition.

We supply content for online risk management and anti-money laundering programmes developed by and for the Online Compliance Consortium consisting of Magic Circle and other leading law firms.

Related links

Legal Services Act 2007 page

Money Laundering page

Conflicts pages