Latest news with #SolicitorsRegulationAuthority
Epoch Times
28-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
Phillipson Promises to ‘Back the Next Generation' With Training Opportunities
Tens of thousands of apprenticeships and training opportunities have been promised as part of the government's effort to increase workers' skills and cut net migration. Ministers have promised a total of 120,000 new training opportunities for construction workers, engineers, health care staff, and other trades in England before the next general election. Up to 45,000 training places will be funded by hiking the charge paid by employers for bringing in foreign workers by a third. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: 'A skilled workforce is the key to steering the economy forward, and today we're backing the next generation by giving young people more opportunities to learn a trade, earn a wage and achieve and thrive. 'When we invest in skills for young people, we invest in a shared, stronger economic future – creating opportunities as part of our plan for change. 'But everyone has a role to play in a thriving economy, and we're taking our responsibility seriously providing more routes into employment, it's now the responsibility of young people to take them.' Related Stories 5/22/2025 5/8/2025 The plans for 120,000 training places include an extra 30,000 apprenticeship starts across the current Parliament. The apprenticeship budget for 2025–26 is more than £3 billion. From January 2026, funding will be shifted away from masters-level apprenticeships to focus on training at lower levels, although support will be maintained for those aged 16–21 and existing apprentices. The immigration White Paper published earlier this month set out plans to hike the immigration skills charge by 32 percent to 'upskill the domestic workforce and reduce reliance on migration.' As many as one in eight 16- to 24-year-olds are not in education, employment, or training. Sarah Yong, director of policy and public affairs at the Youth Futures Foundation said: 'International evidence shows apprenticeships are a highly impactful way to support young people to prepare for and access jobs, yet participation among under-25s, especially the most marginalised, has declined in recent years. 'With stubbornly high youth unemployment and inactivity, rebalancing the apprenticeship system can encourage investment in youth apprenticeships and is a first step in enabling more young people to access good work.' The Law Society urged the government to continue to fund masters-level apprenticeships for those aged over 21. The society's President Richard Atkinson said: 'Level 7 solicitor apprenticeships continue to be the only route outside of university to qualify as a solicitor due to specific qualifications set by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. 'Apprenticeships play a vital role in promoting social mobility.' Shadow education minister Neil O'Brien warned: 'The decision to scrap higher apprenticeships will do damage to the public services, particularly the NHS. 'It will make it impossible for many young people who don't go university to enter the professions. 'Numerous employers and professional bodies have warned about the damage scrapping higher apprenticeships will do, which is why this is being snuck out during recess.'
Business Mayor
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Mayor
In depth: Law Society private client conference
One topic dominated this year's private client conference at Chancery Lane – the Law Commission's long-awaited report on wills reform, which was published a few days earlier. The report has been long in the making, as law commissioner Professor Nick Hopkins (pictured) explained during the day's final session. The commission was asked in 2015 to do a scoping report. Following a consultation, the government asked it to pause work and concentrate on weddings. Wills was picked up again post-Covid with a supplementary consultation paper in 2023. 'At the risk of making virtue out of vice, that pause has ultimately been beneficial because attitudes to electronic wills and marriage revoking a will changed in that period of time,' Hopkins said. The commissioner talked through some of the report's key recommendations. Electronic wills should be permitted. The rule that marriage revokes a will should be abolished. The age for making a will should be lowered from 18 to 16. Only the Mental Capacity Act test should apply to the question of testamentary capacity. The courts should be allowed to deem a will valid where the formality requirements have not been fully met but the deceased's intentions are clear. The commission's draft Wills Bill repeals the 1837 act. Most private client practitioners agree that the 1837 act should be replaced with new legislation. However, Stephen Lawson, chair of the Law Society's wills and equity committee, predicted many more court battles if, per the commission's recommendations, judges are empowered to infer undue influence. 'It is one of the most common allegations clients make but one of the most difficult to prove,' he told the conference. On marriage no longer revoking a will, 'you have got to consider the role of cohabitees', Lawson noted. The conference covered other important ground. With probate and estate administration generating the third-highest volume of reports to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and some of the largest and most frequent payments from the compensation fund, the regulator shared examples of best and poor practice during its most recent thematic review. 'We're not just called on to be advisers about the law anymore. There is a huge element of counselling, ethics and morality that pervades the decisions our clients want to make. They do not care about the legals' James Lister, Stevens & Bolton Shortcomings in law firm communications were a big driver of client dissatisfaction, SRA regulatory managers Mel Lothbrok and Siobhan Fennell said. The regulator was surprised to find significant variations in written information given to clients about the estate administration process, given that many people will know little about it. Some firms were providing written information too late in the day, while some regularly exceeded cost estimates without warning clients. Lothbrok and Fennell said clients should receive the best possible information at the outset and firms should have efficient processes for managing costs, with clients being updated right through to the end of the retainer. The regulator is also concerned about compliance with accounts rules. The conference heard that one firm obtained a qualified accountant's report but failed to submit it to the SRA. Another firm did not obtain one for several years. A tip for firms: consider asking your accountant for feedback on the strength of your financial controls to address issues and prevent problems down the line. Read More Confiscation hearing for jailed solicitor adjourned The conference also covered key changes to personal taxation, the complexities of farming families, understanding the Official Solicitor's role in Court of Protection applications, mental capacity assessments and revoking deputyships, and AI. The key takeaway from a session on 'advising modern families' was undoubtedly the fact that in surrogacy, the mother or father are not the legal parents of their child in the jurisdiction of England and Wales if they do not have a parental order. Gender has become another important consideration, the conference heard. James Lister, head of private wealth disputes at Stevens & Bolton, said solicitors are used to drafting and advising on will documents that define beneficiaries by reference to their gender. But 'when you're using protected characteristics to define your beneficiaries, you trespass into dangerous territory'. Lister added: 'We're not just called on to be advisers about the law anymore. There is a huge element of counselling, ethics and morality that pervades the decisions our clients want to make. They do not care about the legals.' If clients are tied to a set of values they do not ascribe to, 'we're creating a large set of problems'. Electronic wills may not arrive soon – the government's full response is expected within 12 months – but as the conference showed, private client specialists have plenty of other issues to focus on in the meantime.
Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Landmark approval for AI firm — but elsewhere a barrister comes a cropper
Two ends of the spectrum that is artificial intelligence in the law were dramatically illustrated over the past few days. On the side of progress was an announcement from the solicitors' watchdog that it had for the first time authorised a law firm that provided legal services through AI. 'While many firms are already using AI to support and deliver a range of back-office and public-facing services,' the Solicitors Regulation Authority said, it noted that was 'the first purely AI-based firm'. But before the legal profession's AI fan club uncorked the champagne, at the other end of that spectrum was a tale of horror. Sitting in the High Court, Mr Justice Ritchie referred a case to Bar regulators after a barrister cited five 'fake'
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SolicitorQualification.co.uk Launches to Offer Practice SQE Questions to Support Aspiring Solicitors
Revolutionising Legal Education with Stockport, Manchester, May 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- a pioneering online platform dedicated to supporting aspiring solicitors in England and Wales, has officially launched, providing comprehensive practice questions to help candidates effectively prepare for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). Founded by Mark Draper, the platform is set to transform how future solicitors approach their exam new Solicitor Qualification website offer practice SQE questionsThe legal profession in England and Wales has undergone a transformative shift with the introduction of the SQE, a centralised exam replacing traditional qualification routes such as the Legal Practice Course (LPC), Common Professional Examination (CPE), Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), and the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme (QLTS). Overseen by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the SQE aims to standardise the assessment of solicitor candidates, ensuring consistent professional competence and fairness across the profession. 'The transition to the SQE has left many law graduates, paralegals, and aspiring solicitors uncertain about how best to prepare for this crucial exam,' says Mark Draper, founder of 'We heard from numerous legal students and trainees struggling to find high-quality, realistic SQE practice questions that truly reflect the exam's format and difficulty. Our platform fills that gap by providing expertly crafted, original multiple-choice questions in collaboration with practising solicitors and legal educators.' The SQE consists of two parts: SQE1, which tests functioning legal knowledge through multiple-choice questions, and SQE2, which assesses practical legal skills such as client interviewing, advocacy, and legal writing. Unlike previous qualification routes, the SQE does not require completion of a traditional training contract or Legal Practice Course before sitting the exam, offering greater flexibility but also new challenges for candidates. Many candidates face difficulties including navigating the vast amount of study materials without effective ways to test knowledge retention, finding practice questions that accurately mirror the SQE1 exam's style and rigour, affording expensive preparation courses amid concerns about self-study sufficiency, and managing the anxiety and financial implications of exam failure. directly tackles these issues by offering a comprehensive bank of SQE1 practice questions, approved by qualified solicitors with direct experience in SQE question setting. Topic-specific question packs allow candidates to target and strengthen their weaker areas, while clear, accessible information on the SQE syllabus, exam format, and preparation strategies is provided. Interested students can purchase a low cost sample SQE question pack to try the service out. The launch of aligns with the Law Society of England and Wales and the Solicitors Regulation Authority's shared goal of ensuring the solicitor profession maintains high standards while becoming more accessible and inclusive. By empowering candidates with reliable, expert-validated learning tools, the platform aims to reduce barriers to success and supports the development of competent, confident lawyers ready to serve society—whether in private practice, in-house roles, or pro bono practice question example in Press inquiries Solicitor Qualification Mark Draper contact@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Mayor
15-05-2025
- Business Mayor
Solicitor who ran mesh claims facing multiple charges
A solicitor who represented women who were given mesh implants has been charged with multiple allegations of misconduct. The Solicitors Regulation Authority today published its decision notice to prosecute Darren Hanison, who ran Fortitude Law in West Sussex. The firm was subject to intervention almost two years ago and Hanison is now alleged to have told a client she was receiving a settlement but not telling her this was after taking nearly half the damages in costs. He is also alleged to have failed to take instructions from a litigation client, failed to deal with requests for payments from a third party, made misleading demands for costs and dishonestly kept settlement money to pay supposed success fees. The SRA further alleges that Hanison failed to ensure clients had valid after-the-event insurance to run claims and misled clients into thinking they were not at risks of costs payments if they lost the litigation. The allegations also include submitting a false public indemnity insurance proposal and created fake insurance policy schedules. The allegations are subject to a hearing before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal and are as yet unproven. Fortitude Law had positioned itself as a firm specialising in running claims on behalf of women who received disastrous pelvic mesh implants. The firm had run a publicity campaign advertising for victims of the mesh scandal and regularly posted on Facebook looking for clients. Mesh implants had been used in the surgical repair of pelvic organ prolapse and to manage stress urinary incontinence, but these implants have been linked to crippling, life-changing complications.
