2023 DG Legal Monthly Newsletters
Each month we provide our Retainer clients with a highly rated compliance bulletin covering what they need to know and what action they must take. Below we provide short summaries of our compliance bulletins as monthly newsletters.
This month's newsletter covers:
Compliance & Management
- Change to LeO postal address
- Changes to SRA Standards and Regulations
- Consultations on SQE changes
- Increase to Guideline Hourly Rates
AML & Financial Crime
- High risk countries updated
- 2022-23 AML annual report
- Improvements required to client and matter risk assessments
- AML Sectoral Risk Assessment
- Changes to Money Laundering Regulations 2017
- New LSAG Guidance addendum
Legal Aid
- April 2024 duty rota amendment deadline
- Immigration & Asylum Contract changes
This month's newsletter covers:
Compliance & Management
- Client protection concerns in light of recent interventions
- Transparency Rules Year Three review
- Continuing competence survey
- Non-disclosure agreements thematic review
Data Protection
- Obligation to report cyber incidents and data breaches
Legal Aid
- 2018 Standard Civil Contract changes
- New directory of Immigration providers
This month's newsletter covers:
Compliance & Management
- Consultation on SRA regulation of CILEX lawyers
- Warning notice to immigration practitioners
- Youth Court advocacy guidance
- Improving socio-economic diversity
- Solicitors Indemnity Fund delivery partner
- Powers of Attorney Act 2023
AML & Financial Crime
- OFSI general licence for legal fees
- Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023
This month's newsletter covers:
Compliance & Management
- 2023/2024 practising certificate and firm registration renewals
- Litigation fixed recoverable costs
Data Protection & Cyber Security
- Warning on using email Bcc function
- Cyber Essentials holders benefit from complementary Cyber Liability Insurance
AML & Financial Crime
- Updated financial sanctions guidance
Legal Aid
- 2024 Civil Contract tender
- 2024 Civil Contract changes
- Further legal aid means testing changes
- Increase to overnight accommodation rates
- Update on proposal to move all providers to VMP
This month's newsletter covers:
Compliance & Management
- Mandatory Fire Safety Risk Assessment
- Review of solicitors’ competence
- Professional Enablers Taskforce
Data Protection & Cyber Security
- Law firm reprimanded by ICO for data breach
- SRA scam email alert
AML & Financial Crime
- Question answered on checking counterparties against financial sanctions lists
- General licence for legal advisory services
Legal Aid
- Housing & Debt contract tender
- Legal aid means testing changes
- New civil financial eligibility tool
This month's newsletter covers:
Compliance & Management
- SRA unbundled services pilot report
- Persons at risk of financial abuse guide
- Financial Health Check
Data Protection
- Funded Cyber Essentials Plus for legal aid providers
- NCSC Legal Sector Cyber Threat Report
- Firms encouraged to report cyber-attacks
AML and Financial Crime
- UK sanctions regime guide
- New sanctions on legal services
- New proceeds of crime guidance
Legal Aid
- New payments for pre-charge bail cases
- 2022 Standard Crime Contract changes
This month's newsletter covers:
Compliance & Management
- Diversity data reporting window now open
- Extension to video-witnessing of wills
- New HMCTS video hearing service
- Updated SRA approach to health issues
- Professional executor practice note
AML and Financial Crime
- New Suspicious Activity Reports guidance
- Trust services sanctions guidance
Legal Aid
- October 2023 duty rota amendment deadline
- Legal aid accessibility broadened
- New criminal preparation fee guidance
This month's newsletter covers:
Compliance & Management
- Consultation on restricting fees in financial mis-selling claims
- SRA financial penalties and publication of decisions
- Police station representation standards consultation response
- Advocacy standards guidance and training
- Youth Court advocacy good practice guide
- SRA seeking views on new Corporate Strategy
- New wellbeing at work guidance
AML and Financial Crime
- OFSI general licence for legal fees
Legal Aid
- Extension of scope of Family legal aid
- Extension of 2022 Standard Crime Contracts
- Proposal to move all providers to VMP
This month's newsletter covers:
Compliance & Management
- SRA financial sanctions questionnaire
- Dealing with complaints practice notes
- SRA diversity data collection
- Updated probate application guidance
- SLAPPs and conduct in disputes thematic review outcome
- Solicitors Indemnity Fund update
Data Protection
- New NCSC online safety tools
AML and Financial Crime
- Updates to the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Regulations 2017
- Economic Crime Plan and Levy
Legal Aid
- HLPAS tender
- Trial of new civil financial eligibility tool
- Trial of new Crime eForms replacement service
- Mental Health contract changes
This month's newsletter covers:
Compliance & Management
- Banking facilities rule warning notice and case studies
- Legal Ombudsman Scheme Rules changes
- Client account guidance updated
- Applications to remain on the Roll
- SQE – a review one year on
AML and Financial Crime
- SARs and tipping off guidance
- OFSI enforcement guidance updated
Legal Aid
- Revised Immigration & Asylum Specification
- Interim Civil Contract Tender
- Extension offers for current Civil Contract holders
This month's newsletter covers:
Compliance & Management
- Residual client balances practice note
- Solicitors’ continuing competence
- Client account protection practice note
- Interpreters in criminal cases
- Resources and support for immigration practitioners
Data Protection
- NCSC Early Warning tool
AML and Financial Crime
- Report on crypto technologies
- Review of 2022 Suspicious Activity Reports
Legal Aid
- New fixed fee for pre-recorded cross-examination
- Additional funding for SEND Tribunal appeals
- Raising concerns about suspicious applications
This month's newsletter covers:
Compliance & Management
- Statement on referrals to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT)
- Legal Choices website success
Data Protection
- Funded Cyber Essentials Plus for legal aid providers
AML and Financial Crime
- SRA issues record fine for AML breaches
2020-2022 AML supervision report - SRA guidance on complying with UK sanctions regime
Legal Aid
- Changes to legal aid eligibility rules for cost of living payments
- Updates to reporting of financial circumstances changes for legally aided clients
Contact Us
To discover more about how we can help your firm with compliance issues, please call 01509 214 999, send us an email or complete our free enquiry form.