Tickbox AML regime isn't working
Inside Conveyancing, the Negotiator and the Times (£), quote Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce saying the current anti-money laundering (AML) regime should be improved to create a more risk-based approach.
She said: "At its centre, the UK AML regime should be effective at reducing money laundering and terrorist financing. It must be built on an evidenced-based assessment of the risks and what works to mitigate those risks.
"A risk-based approach will be most effective, as it requires regulated persons to focus more fully on those clients and situations which present the greatest risk, rather than conducting a less rigorous, but nonetheless onerous and costly, assessment across a broader range of matters which is not effective in tackling money laundering."
HM Treasury opened a call for evidence in July as part of the government's economic crime plan. A final report setting out the findings of the review and possible options for reform is expected to be published by the end of June next year, says the Gazette.
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Damning legal aid report
The Gazette and Solicitors Journal report reaction to the Westminster Commission on Legal Aid findings and detailed recommendations.
Richard Miller, head of justice at the Law Society, said: "We echo its damning verdict on the inadequate funding of our legal aid system and the detrimental impact of that on the ability of the most vulnerable in society to access justice.
"We strongly support the call for a more holistic service for clients that enables them to get help for their clusters of problems, rather than individual issues being treated in isolation from the rest. We also welcome the bipartisan call for significant investment in the sector in order to address the crisis of sustainability."
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Accessing the profession as a young, deaf solicitor
With online video interviews the new normal, Eleanor Shaw discusses in a blog post for the Law Society how the legal sector can be more accessible for deaf and disabled job applicants.
Law Society Council workings
Council member Jonathan Goldsmith reflects in the Gazette on the workings of Council and how individual members contribute to the direction of travel for the profession.
Also worth a read:
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- Attorney general on politics in courts – Public Law for Everyone