| 2003 | ||
| Bank of England alerted to BCCI fraud risk in 1984 | Observer | 21 Dec 2003 |
| Channel 4's Dispatches program puts judges in the dock. | Gazette | 19 Dec 2003 |
| Ex-lawyer sentenced for fraud (with a nod to Scotland) | BBC | 14 Dec 2003 |
| A solicitor pleaded guilty this week to stealing over half a million pounds from his clients. | Roll on Friday | 12 Dec 2003 |
| Department for Constitutional Affairs has a new web site. Rich, useful, and easy to navigate. Download the Autumn Performance Report as a .pdf | Department for Constitutional Affairs | 05 Dec 2003 |
| "Unprecedented" interim report by the Legal Services Ombudsman on the performance of the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors. |
Law Society Gazette (sorry - link busted) OLSO - download full report (still works) |
28 Nov 2003 |
| US prosecutors have charged 47 currency traders with a range of criminal offences, including fraud. | BBC | 20 Nov 2003 |
| New figures show banks' increasing reliance on due diligence checks. Proper checks might have revealed the true credentials of a struck off solicitor. | ICC Commercial Crime Services | 09 Nov 2003 |
| A solicitor who employed a disgraced
former lawyer at his practice without the permission of his governing body
was suspended for six and a half months. Solicitor Francis Read still gets away with having done the same. |
09 Nov 2003 | |
| Which? condemns Law Society Helpline for misinforming callers. Nothing new there, then. | Which? | 09 Nov 2003 |
|
Lawyer shot repeatedly as he hides behind tree. This barbaric action is not the way to settle disputes or grievances. Deepest sympathies to the victim and his family. |
No Link here | 03 Nov 2003 |
|
Montreal Declaration on Public Access to Law This is not new news as the declaration was made in October 2002. It is important, however, hence its promotion here. Find access to World Legal Information Institutes here: Research |
Worldlii Declaration | 01 Nov 2003 |
| First female Law Lord appointed | BBC | 01 Nov 2003 |
| Microsoft runs search for a way to take over internet giant Google | The Guardian | 01 Nov 2003 |
| Three cheers for Google | The Independent | 25 Oct 2003 |
| Legal Aid system in crisis | The Guardian | 13 Oct 2003 |
| Solicitor stole from elderly clients | BBC | 03 Oct 2003 |
| Threat of huge fines on Law Society. Clare Dyer writes for The Guardian | The Guardian | 30 Sept 2003 |
| Two Devon MPs have been meeting senior officials of the Law Society over unpaid compensation claims against a disgraced Barnstaple solicitor. | BBC | 29 Sept 2003 |
| Deputy Judge drunk and disorderly | Roll on Friday | 26 Sept 2003 |
| Legal Aid in crisis | Roll on Friday | 26 Sept 2003 |
| Taxpayers face £1.5m bill for services of barristers and solicitors at inquiry, writes Robert Verkaik of The Independent. | Independent | 25 Sept 2003 |
| Threat of legal action against the owner of Bullyonline, Tim Field. | Tim Field | 15 Sept 2003 |
| Law Society "gives up" on self-regulation (?) | Roll on Friday | 12 Sept 2003 |
| Attorney urges fraud crackdown, writes Clare Dyer in The Guardian. Not before time, says UnjustIS | The Guardian | 12 Sept 2003 |
|
Solicitor suspended over fraud. A Shropshire solicitor who moved thousands of pounds from clients' accounts to his own firm has been suspended for five years. |
BBC News | 11 Sept 2003 |
| Minister declares war on white-collar crime. Robert Verkaik of The Independent writes: Tax dodgers, City cheats and money launderers are to face tough prison sentences under a government offensive against white-collar criminals, the Attorney General announced yesterday. | The Independent | 09 Sept 2003 |
| The Fraud Advisory Panel publishes its report on the state of fraud in Britain, which now costs more than £13.8bn per year. Good Grief! | FAP news release | 05 Sept 2003 |
| The Solicitors' Disciplinary Tribunal publishes its annual reports 2001 & 2002. Download as PDF files. | SDT Reports | 25 Aug 2003 |
| The Legal Services Ombudsman publishes her 2003 annual report. Download it as a pdf file. | OLSO | 10 July 2003 |
| NEW YORK (Reuters) - A London solicitor, Andrew Warren, has pleaded guilty to attempted racketeering in connection with an international stock fraud conspiracy that operated in New York and Britain, prosecutors said Thursday. Warren is a former partner of London solicitors Talbot, Greggy & Co | Forbes | 01 July 2003 |
|
A North Devon solicitor, Philip Huxtable, has been struck off for overcharging clients by more than £100,000. |
BBC News | 01 July 2003 |
| A high flying solicitor, Adrian Jackman, who swindled nearly £2m from clients to spend on his mistress and foreign investments, has been struck off. | BBC News | 01 July 2003 |
| The North Yorkshire solicitor, Jeremy Cave, found guilty of stealing almost £155,000 from the estates of his dead clients has been struck off the Solicitors' roll. | BBC News | 01 July 2003 |
| A former solicitor, Shirley Harrison, has been sentenced to three years in prison for taking more than £400,000 left to people in wills. | BBC News | 29 June 2003 |
|
Solicitors' offices raided. Drug trafficking and money laundering in Lancashire and West Yorkshire. The Law Society claims to have been helping the police in the investigations leading to the raids. |
BBC News | 26 June 2003 |
| Important new forum launched for victims of fraud and fraud fighters. Have your say, and learn what others are saying about schemes, scams and frauds. | Crimes-of-Persuasion forum | 15 June 2003 |
| After 1400 years the office of Lord Chancellor is to be abolished. This move Pivots on the retirement of the last incumbent, Lord Irvine of Lairg. UnjustIS will follow this issue closely. Meantime, read the leading broadsheets and UK government announcements using the links on the right. To find more news sources, visit the Research section. | 13 June 2003 | |
| Marie Woolf writes for The Independent under the headline: Blunkett says legal system is 200 years out of date. Hear, hear. | The Independent | 07 June 2003 |
| Valerie Hannah writes for The Herald, commenting on a 27% increase in complaints against solicitors in Scotland during 2002 | The Herald 23 May | 27 May 2003 |
| Neasa MacErlean writes for Cash in the Observer newspaper about a new Law Society charter intended to reduce complaints about solicitors. UnjustIS has downloaded the Law Society's documents on the matter, but remains highly skeptical. | 19 March 2003 | |