Immigration law firm put up for sale on insolvency market amid visa crackdown Legal A London law firm specialising in immigration services has been put up for sale on an insolvency marketplace in an early sign the government’s crackdown on visas has sparked a slump in applications. Woolwich-based A Vincent Solicitors, which employs more than two dozen staff and has a second office in Manchester, offered multi-lingual support services [...]
Turf good, grassroots bad: Budget spares horse racing but divides sport Sport Business Horse racing chiefs have welcomed the Chancellor’s decision to afford it an exemption from major increases in gambling taxes announced in today’s Budget. While tax on remote gaming will jump to 40 per cent from April and remote sports betting from 15 to 25 per cent in 2027, duty on horse racing wagers has been [...]
City watchdog accused of ‘massive overreach’ in motor finance clampdown Legal The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been accused of a “massive overreach” following letters sent to law firms and claims management companies (CMCs) requesting batches of information under the new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers law. The FCA sent letters in August, seen by City AM, requesting information on the law firms’ motor finance services, [...]
Legal sector feeling subdued as regulator loses its AML powers October 23, 2025 The Treasury’s decision to transfer oversight of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing supervision to the FCA has sparked concerns within the professional services sector. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) served as a Professional Body Supervisor (PBS) for AMLCT for law firms across England and Wales, while for the accountancy sector, the HMRC plays the supervision [...]
FCA to take control of anti-money laundering supervision of professional service firms in major reform October 21, 2025 The government’s reform of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing supervision will significantly change and diminish the roles of the legal regulator and HMRC. Today, the Treasury revealed the outcome of its consultation on reforming anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing supervision, primarily for professional services, by creating a Single Professional Services Supervisor (SPSS), with the Financial [...]
Who’s really running a court case? The legal ruling that’s raising eyebrows October 9, 2025 Each year, courts hand down hundreds of thousands of judgments. While many are significant only to the parties involved, occasionally a decision sends ripples much further afield. A prime example happened last October, when the Court of Appeal issued a straightforward ruling that upended the lending sector and created significant headaches for the Financial Conduct [...]
Regulators target motor finance CMCs amid redress costs concern October 6, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority is teaming up with a fleet of regulators to crackdown on misleading claims firms in the motor finance saga – even as the sector’s displeasure on the redress scheme rumbles on. The City watchdog will join the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), Information Commissioner’s Office and the Advertising Standards Authority to tackle [...]
Law firm launches internal probe after Church of England victim data leak August 29, 2025 City law firm Kennedys Law has launched an internal investigation after the personal details of Church of England abuse victims were leaked. The Church has been battling its failures as it was accused of covering up decades of child abuse committed by prolific child abuser John Smyth. The Makin Review, published last November, found Smyth [...]
Law firms slammed by regulator over risky client practices on high-volume claims August 22, 2025 The legal regulator has criticised law firms that handle high-volume consumer claims for poor practices that could harm the public, warning that urgent improvements are needed.
Horizon fallout: How the SRA is turning up the heat on City firms August 19, 2025 Following the Post Office Horizon scandal, the SRA is turning up the heat on in-house solicitors. Here's what it means for City firms.