Mystery surrounds claims to LAA hack as ransom deadline comes and goes
A group of cyber hackers who claim to be responsible for the attack on the Legal Aid Agency has threatened to publish the data gathered through the cyber attack unless one of their members is ‘freed’. First reported in The Times, the group, which calls itself the ShinyHunters, has publicly claimed credit for the attack […]
£15m divorce case a warning to those who might wish to conceal assets
A sham trust hid significant assets a High Court ruling has found resulting in an award worth £15m being transferred from an ex husband to his wife. Mario Michael was a prolific property investor and developer in North London who had an interest in over 200 properties. Divorce proceedings against Mr Michael were commenced by […]
Bigamist’s estate to be split between ‘former’ and ‘current’ spouse after high court claim
A man who was legally married to his previous partner and married a second is at the centre of an inheritance dispute following his death from cancer in 2020. Accountant James Dinsdale’s £1.8m estate is the subject of a high court battle between his ‘current; wife, beautician Margaret Dinsdale and his ‘previous wife Dr Victoria […]
Solicitor loses bid to be restored to roll after ‘systemic’ failures led to £1.2 million fraud
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has refused to restore a solicitor to the roll after he was struck off in 2021 for a series of regulatory and supervision breaches that resulted in a £1.2 million fraud. Charles James Ete, sole equity partner and owner of Charles Ete & Co Solicitors and sole principal and owner of […]
Legal Ombudsman shares enhanced guidance on remedies for earlier complaint resolution
The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has published enhanced guidance on remedies that sets out five questions to assess whether a remedy is appropriate. The updated guidance is aimed at supporting service providers to identify and apply appropriate resolutions at an earlier stage and has been issued in response to findings from the 2024/2025 financial year. Many […]
No holiday for AML enforcement as SRA shares details of penalties totalling £275,000 in July
Decisions shared by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in July reveal 13 firms have been fined a total of £275,170 for AML breaches dating back to 2011 – with one firm fined £114,006. Amphlett Lissimore Bagshaws in London received the hefty sanction for failing to implement adequate policies, controls and procedures (PCPs) and failing to conduct […]