Professional and financial risks
Risky Business: what to do when former clients ask further questions
In Spire Property Development LLP & Anor v Withers LLP [2022] EWCA Civ 970, the Court of Appeal considered the scope of a solicitor's duty when a former client posed questions to a solicitor concerning a transaction after the retainer had ended. The judgment will be of interest to solicitors who are asked for advice in circumstances where no retainer exists.
Read moreThe Professional Negligence Law Review, Edition 5
The Professional Negligence Law Review provides an indispensable global overview of the law and practice of professional liability and regulation. It covers the fundamental principles of professional negligence law in each jurisdiction, including obligations, fora, dispute resolution mechanisms, remedies and time bars. The authors then review factors specific to the main professions and conclude with an outline of recent developments and issues to look out for in the year ahead.
Read moreLawyers Covered - July 2022
Welcome to the latest edition of our Lawyers Liability & Regulatory Update, in which we look back over the last month at key developments affecting lawyers and the professional risks they face.
Read moreDouble warning for legal professionals: do not cut corners with disclosure
Further to a recent decision made by the Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service, the Bar Standards Board has suspended a "top criminal silk" from practice on grounds of professional misconduct in respect of his failure to disclose material evidence during criminal proceedings in 2007. The decision, and the judgment made by the Court of Appeal in those proceedings, reiterates the importance of the ongoing obligation on legal professionals to give disclosure and comply with their duties to the court.
Read moreIs the FCA to blame for BSPS? MPs seem to think so
The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) yesterday published a report entitled "Investigation into the British Steel Pension Scheme". The report makes a number of recommendations in light of its investigations in to the FCA's conduct and regulatory oversight at the time of the issues arising from the British Steel Pension Scheme (BSPS) and in particular the decision by 7,834 members to transfer to a personal pension arrangement. The report is heavily critical of the FCA's handling of BSPS and its regulatory oversight of the defined benefit transfer market generally. Given the request in the report for an update from the FCA on its progress on the various recommendations and conclusions in 6 months' time, we wait to see how the FCA reacts to yet further criticism of its handling of BSPS at a time when it is reviewing responses to the consumer redress scheme consultation.
Read moreThe Month That Was – June 2022 – Restoring trust in audit and corporate governance
Welcome to Money Covered, a monthly podcast from RPC aimed at those dealing with complaints, claims and risk management in the financial services sector.
Read morePost COVID-19 UK: What Will the Professional Negligence Claims Landscape Look Like?
The cost of living is at an all-time high, with interest rates increasing and inflation currently sitting at around 9%. The chances of a recession in the UK over the next two years have increased. It will come as no surprise that we expect the number of claims against law firms to rise as the economic downturn takes hold, as was the case in 2008 and recessions before it.
Read moreLawyers Covered - June 2022
Welcome to the latest edition of our Lawyers Liability & Regulatory Update, in which we look back over the last month at key developments affecting lawyers and the professional risks they face.
Read moreThe Month That Was - April 2022 - looking at the FCA business plan and Adams v Carey
Welcome to Money Covered, a monthly podcast from RPC aimed at those dealing with complaints, claims and risk management in the financial services sector.
Read moreLawyers Covered - May 2022
Welcome to the latest edition of our Lawyers Liability & Regulatory Update, in which we look back over the last month at key developments affecting lawyers and the professional risks they face.
Read moreBeware the client who is too busy to litigate
Clients need to understand from the outset of litigation not only how significant the cost of litigation can be, but also the time commitment.
Read moreLawyers Covered - April 2022
Welcome to the latest edition of our Lawyers Liability & Regulatory Update, in which we look back over the last month at key developments affecting lawyers and the professional risks they face.
Read moreThe Month That Was - March 2022 - An update on the British Steel pension scheme FCA consultation and McClean v Thornhill
Welcome to Money Covered, a monthly podcast from RPC aimed at those dealing with complaints, claims and risk management in the financial services sector.
Read moreImportant Court of Appeal clarity on the operation of s1(4) of the Civil Liability (Contribution) Act 1978
A recent Court of Appeal decision (in which RPC acted for the successful barrister Appellant) provides important clarification on the operation of section 1(4) of the Civil Liability (Contribution) Act 1978 (“the Act”). Although the matter concerned a contribution claim by a solicitor against a barrister brought pursuant to the Act, the decision is of wider relevance/application for litigation practitioners and the Insurance market.
Read moreFCA consultation on British Steel redress scheme published
The FCA has now published its consultation paper on the proposed redress scheme for British Steel Pension transfers under s.404 of FSMA. The scope of this is wider than anticipated and the proposals contain some surprises around the lack of an opt-in process and potential involvement of FOS.
Read moreLawyers Covered - March 2022
Welcome to the latest edition of our Lawyers Liability & Regulatory Update, in which we look back over the last month at key developments affecting lawyers and the professional risks they face.
Read moreNo judicial review for FOS defined benefit transfer case
The High Court has rejected an application for permission for judicial review in a number of FOS complaints upheld against the adviser who advised on a defined benefit pension transfer. The adviser had advised on the transfer but not the subsequent investments made after the transfer. The adviser was led to believe that UCIS investments would not be made with the transferred funds but in fact UCIS investments were made. The FOS found that the adviser had given unsuitable pension transfer advice partly on the basis that it should have asked more questions about the ultimate investments and it was not enough to have provided for a general spread of investment type. Permission for judicial review was rejected on the basis that there was nothing unlawful in the FOS decisions including the fact that the adviser was held responsible for 100% of the losses despite the involvement of the separate adviser that advised on the investments following the transfer.
Read moreNational Audit Office on the British Steel Pension Scheme
On Friday the National Audit Office (NAO) published a report on the British Steel Pension Scheme (BSPS), looking at the regulation of pension transfer advice and extent to which compensation has been delivered. The NAO's report does not look at the merits of individual decisions made by the FCA and other organisations but includes some insightful information on the BSPS scheme and the status of complaints at FOS and the FSCS and the NAO's findings. With the report coming just before the FCA is due to publish its consultation on a consumer redress scheme for impacted BSPS members and makes for useful reading for those involved with BSPS complaints.
Read moreShell directors facing potential UK ESG shareholder derivative lawsuit
In the wake of COP26, more focus than ever is being given to the climate risks which apply to every aspect of business. Scrutiny of a company's climate awareness and adherence to applicable regulation is at the forefront of minds of companies' stakeholders.
Read moreDuties of Care to Third Parties in Tax Avoidance Schemes – Disappointment for Investors in McClean as Zacaroli, J Rejects Claims
Mr Justice Zacaroli has now handed down his judgment in David McClean and others v Andrew Thornhill QC [2022] EWHC 457 (Ch) - a ~£40m claim by investors in a tax scheme against one of the leading tax barristers in the country. The judge dismissed the claim in its entirety holding, amongst other things that the barrister did not owe a duty of care to the investors.
Read moreLawyers Covered - February 2022
Welcome to the latest edition of our Lawyers Liability & Regulatory Update, in which we look back over the last month at key developments affecting lawyers and the professional risks they face.
Read moreThe X-Client Files: who owns a solicitor's file
It's a perennial headache for solicitors: what exactly am I supposed to do when a client asks me for 'their file'?
Read moreConstruction of the insuring clause in solicitors’ MTC compliant policy considered in law firm funder’s claim
On 3 February 2022 Mr Justice Butcher handed down judgment in Doorway Capital Ltd v American International Group Ltd1, granting reverse summary judgment in favour of the insurer defendant.
Read moreSIPPs and FOS - does the Rowanmoor decision change anything?
Last week FOS published a decision it reached last year in a complaint against a SIPP provider involving advised sales. The FOS upheld the complaint, finding that the SIPP provider should have rejected business from the regulated financial adviser, CIB Life and Pensions Limited (CIB), given, broadly, red flags available to the SIPP provider with respect to the operation of CIB's business model including that CIB was not advising on the ultimate investment within the SIPP and as a result such introductions involved a significant risk of consumer detriment. The decision has received quite a bit of press attention - but has it moved the dial for SIPP complaints before FOS or not?
Read moreLawyers Covered - January 2022
Welcome to the latest edition of our Lawyers Liability & Regulatory Update, in which we look back over the last month at key developments affecting lawyers and the professional risks they face.
Read moreGood faith does not go both ways
It is common knowledge that solicitors owe fiduciary duties to their clients but what about the other way around? Do clients owe a duty of good faith to their solicitors (as an implied term of the retainer)?
Read moreThe Future of Insolvency Regulation
On 21 December 2021 the Government launched a consultation into the future of insolvency regulation. The changes proposed in the consultation document will have a wide ranging impact on the insolvency profession (and its insurers) with the proposals including: the direct regulation of insolvency firms, the introduction of a single regulatory body with powers to order compensation against insolvency practitioners and firms, a new additional requirements regime, changes to the bond regime and a public register of insolvency practitioners and firms. Many of the changes proposed require primary legislation and so it may be some time before the changes to take effect (if adopted). But there does appear to be some wind behind these proposals given they follow on from the Call for Evidence in 2019 and a more general focus on insolvency issues in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read moreLawyers Covered - December 2021
Welcome to the latest edition of our Lawyers Liability & Regulatory Update, in which we look back over the last month at key developments affecting lawyers and the professional risks they face.
Read moreLawyers Covered - November 2021
Welcome to the latest edition of our Lawyers Liability & Regulatory Update, in which we look back over the last month at key developments affecting lawyers and the professional risks they face.
Read moreLawyers Covered - July 2021
Welcome to the latest edition of our Lawyers Liability & Regulatory Update, in which we look back over the last month at key developments affecting lawyers and the professional risks they face.
Read moreLawyers Covered - October 2021
Welcome to the latest edition of our Lawyers Liability & Regulatory Update, in which we look back over the last month at key developments affecting lawyers and the professional risks they face.
Read moreFOS proposals to clear the back-log - attractive or not?
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has proposed a temporary approach to the classification of certain complaints in an attempt to alleviate their complaints backlog exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The approach could see firms looking to pro-actively resolve complaints before a defined cut off date before FOS reaches a decision so that the complaint is recorded separately and not as a "change in outcome" (i.e. where a complaint has been rejected by a business and upheld by FOS). The consultation was open for a short two-week period between 4 and 18 October 2021.
Read moreLawyers Covered - August 2021
Welcome to the latest edition of our Lawyers Liability & Regulatory Update, in which we look back over the last month at key developments affecting lawyers and the professional risks they face.
Read moreThe Professional Negligence Law Review, Edition 4
This fourth edition of The Professional Negligence Law Review provides an indispensable overview of the law and practice of professional liability and regulation in 15 jurisdictions. The Professional Negligence Law Review contains information that is invaluable to the large number of firms, insurers, practitioners and other stakeholders who are concerned with the liability and regulatory issues of professionals across the globe. The variation in law and practice across the different jurisdictions is very noticeable and underlines the usefulness of a guide such as this.
Read moreAggregation under the solicitors' minimum terms: are primary layer insurers ready for potentially limitless liability?
In Baines v Dixon Coles & Gill the Court of Appeal has substantially limited the extent to which claims against solicitors can aggregate.
Read moreSolicitors' Undertakings: will the lacuna in the law undermine the smooth and efficient transaction of legal business
Solicitors undertakings are a vital tool in legal practice to ensure the smooth running of litigation and transactional matters.
Read moreRocha-Afodu v SRA – the regulator's powers over solicitors' private lives are examined again
If the boundary between a solicitor's professional and private lives were ever to be mapped, it would probably look like the coastline of Norway - infinitely complex, jagged and largely rocky. The da Rocha-Afodu v SRA decision ([2021] EWHC 1666 (Ch)) is another Divisional Court case exploring this difficult terrain, following upon that of Beckwith v SRA [2020] EWHC 3231 (Admin).
Read moreThe Regulatory Spotlight is shining bright and not just on AFMs
On 20 June 2021, the FCA published its findings from the review it carried out on host Authorised Fund Management firms during 2019-2020. The purpose of the review was "to test the viability of the host Authorised Fund Manager (AFM) business models and assess whether conflicts of interests were being effectively managed."
Read moreSupreme Court Changes to the Assessment of Loss in Professional Negligence Claims
On 18 June 2021 the Supreme Court handed down two judgments in cases examining the application of the SAAMCo principles. These are principles that have dominated the law of professional liability since 1997 and limited the recovery of damages by claimants against professionals. In these judgments the Supreme Court significantly alters the tests for determining whether a particular loss falls within the scope of duty of the professional.
Read moreA tale of loss, limitation and a flawed transaction: why a loss may not feel like a loss
A recent Court of Appeal decision, Elliott v Hattens [2021] Civ 720, has once again raised the vexed issue of when the limitation period starts to run in a flawed transaction case. Does it start running immediately or at some later date? .
Read moreLawyers Covered - May 2021
Welcome to the latest edition of our Lawyers Liability & Regulatory Update, in which we look back over the last month at key developments affecting lawyers and the professional risks they face.
Read moreIt's Cocoa, Jim, but not as we know it: Court's modern interpretation of underwriters' and brokers' duties #4 - getting the witness evidence right and new rules
This is the fourth and final article in our series following the decision in ABN Amro Bank N.V. v Royal Sun Alliance Insurance plc and 13 Underwriters and Edge Brokers (London) Limited, in which RPC acted for Edge.
Read moreEscalating ground rents: CMA takes further action against developers
A look at the recent developments in the leasehold market and the effects on leasehold owners and future purchasers.
Read moreLawyers Covered - April 2021
Welcome to the latest edition of our Lawyers Liability & Regulatory Update, in which we look back over the last month at key developments affecting lawyers and the professional risks they face.
Read moreIt's Cocoa, Jim, but not as we know it: Court's modern interpretation of underwriters' and brokers' duties #3 - A broker's harsh reality
This is the third article in our series following the decision in ABN Amro Bank N.V. v Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance plc and 13 Underwriters and Edge Brokers (London) Limited, in which RPC acted for Edge. Please click here for our first article, setting out a more detailed background to the case.
Read moreIt's Cocoa, Jim, but not as we know it: Court's modern interpretation of underwriters' and brokers' duties #2 – The underwriters defence
A modern show of the historic defence strategy at its worst, or should that be best? We'll let you decide.
Read moreCompany Top Guns may face HMRC investigation
HMRC clamping down on furlough fraud by companies in Danger Zone
Read moreLaw Society undertakes largest ever law firm intervention in Hong Kong
Read moreIt's Cocoa, Jim, but not as we know it: Court's modern interpretation of underwriters' and brokers' duties #1 - An overview of the case
In this series of articles we take a look at the decision in ABN Amro Bank N.V. v Royal & Sun Alliance plc and 13 Underwriters and Edge Brokers (London) Limited. In this article we give an overview of the case. The remaining articles will focus on particular areas of the case, these will be: 1. Underwriters' duties 2. Brokers' duties 3.Witness evidence
Read moreStamp Duty Holiday. Not a "holiday" for conveyancers.
In an attempt to prevent the housing market from stalling during the COVID 19 pandemic, a stamp duty holiday was announced for all residential purchases under £500,000 between 8 July 2020 and 31 March 2021.
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