The Solicitor's Handbook 2015 is a comprehensive yet user-friendly guide to the regulatory maze that governs the conduct of solicitors.This essential handbook covers the Solicitors Regulation Authority's (SRA) Code of Conduct along with the Accounts Rules, financial services regulation, money laundering requirements and alternative business structures (ABS) regulations. It also usefully sets out the extent of the regulator's powers and describes the practical workings of the regulatory and disciplinary processes (including investigations by the SRA and proceedings before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT)), as well as the relevant rights of appeal and review.The 2015 edition has been thoroughly updated to take account of all significant regulatory changes that have been introduced since January 2013, including: the ban on referral fees in personal injury cases, which came into force on 1 April 2013, and the SRA's warning notice changes to the law relating to conditional fee agreements and extension of the range of cases in which damages-based agreements can be used new requirements for individuals or entities temporarily practising overseas a relaxation of the requirements for referrals to financial advisers changes to the regulation of consumer credit activities, which has passed from the Office of Fair Trading to the Financial Conduct Authority the abolition of the Assigned Risks Pool from 1 October 2013 High Court decisions in Fuglers and Andersons regarding the level of fines that the SDT can impose.

This satirical guide to the legal profession, first published in the 90s, was reviewed by The Times as 'one of the most irreverent, funny and perceptive books about the legal profession ever published.' Nine years later, revised and updated, it still retains all its freshness and bite, and is essential reading for clients, lawyers themselves, and anyone considering a career in the law. Over 15,000 copies of this cult book have been sold in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and beyond. The back of the book also includes a catalogue of legal gifts, including humorous prints, t-shirts, paperweights and coffee mugs.

This book offers comparative analyses on issues in lawyer regulation in England and Wales, Japan, Myanmar, New Zealand and Singapore. It examines the lawyer disciplinary systems in different jurisdictions through diverse and comparative perspectives. In addition to enriching the literature on legal ethics, contributions also highlight areas for future research regarding the legal and other professions in different jurisdictions and the methodologies that may be applied. Chapters examine common issues faced by lawyer disciplinary systems throughout the world, such as: transparency of regulatory outcomes, which varies widely and provides challenges to assessing the effectiveness of lawyer regulatory systems whether systems tilt too much toward protecting lawyers and if a move from self-regulation to independent regulators yields better outcomes changes in demographics of the legal profession and regulatory changes posing challenges in longitudinal studies of regulatory systems disciplining of repeat actors raising questions of the deterrence goals of a regulatory system deviation of systems that maintain tight state control over the legal profession from both United Nations and other international norms for lawyer discipline the role of pro bono obligations and the discourse around legal ethics Regulating Lawyers Through Disciplinary Systems will be an invaluable resource for scholars, practitioners and regulators of the legal profession, while also appealing to those interested in legal and other professional ethics. This book was originally published as a special issue of the International Journal of the Legal Profession.

Opinion Writing and Case Preparation equips trainee barristers with the tools and techniques they need to identify, analyse, and present convincing legal arguments, and gives a thorough grounding in the skill of writing opinions. With its systematic approach to legal research and fact management, the manual provides trainee barristers with an efficient and reliable method for preparing a client's case. The fundamental qualities of effective writing are also clearly identified and explained, helping you develop this essential skill. Particular care is taken to guide you through the appropriate ways of writing opinions in a variety of contexts.

Most people understand that regulations have a direct bearing on their access to things such as clean air and water and safe working environments. However, in the United States, few people make the connection between how legal services are regulated and how difficult it is for them to access legal services. Indeed, on the question of affordable and accessible civil justice, the World Justice Project ranks the US 94th out of 113 countries, behind Albania, Belarus, Myanmar, and Russia. For decades academics and others have debated whether the legal profession is self-regulated and, if it is, whether it should be. But is it the right debate? Self-regulation—or not—does not obviate the need for effective regulation. Independent, accountable, and transparent regulatory bodies, effective oversight of those bodies, the genuine engagement of citizens in the regulatory process, evidence-based research to fully assess the impact of regulation, and an approach to regulation that is proportionate and targeted to actual risks are essential for effective regulation. Through the lens of the adoption of alternative structures, this book explains how England, Wales, and Australia have, by embracing these essential elements, successfully modernized their regulatory environments for legal services, and how Canada has taken firm steps down its own path to the same. In contrast, by rejecting these elements, the United States remains paralyzed in an unproductive regulatory environment for legal services. This book provides a blueprint for how the US can take inspiration from its common law sisters to breathe new life into its regulatory environment for legal services. Ultimately, modernization will require more—and better—regulation that is financed publicly through equitable, progressive revenue sources.

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has the power to strike off a solicitor from the roll, suspend a solicitor from practice, fine or reprimand a solicitor or make such other order as it thinks fit. Whilst over 90% of all cases brought before the SDT are brought by the SRA, it is open to anyone to bring a matter before it.This book provides a unique step-by-step guide to the law and practice of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, from the issue of proceedings through to appeal. Its practical approach will help anyone who wishes to avoid the common pitfalls faced by unfamiliar users of the Tribunal.It is the only comprehensive book available on SDT proceedings and it contains all the leading cases on Tribunal proceedings, many of which are not available on the internet, in one handy volume.

This timely Research Handbook examines the dynamic and interdependent relationship between law and diplomacy in the contemporary international system. Through accounts of the actual practice of international law and diplomacy, it provides insights into how international law and relations operate and examines the complex relationship.