Does Your Firm Have The Cyber Skills To Prevent Attacks?
The landscape is shifting rapidly in the field of cyber security, and this poses a real challenge for all law firms, both in terms of having the technology in place to ensure their organisation, employees, and clients remain safe, but also finding the money and people to make this happen. Given cyber attacks on UK […]
Will Pension Scams Be The Next Big Financial Scandal?
Experts are warning we could be on the cusp of the next big financial scandal after pension scams are costing the Brits up to £4 billion a year. Scam cases have increased sharply since 2015 after relaxation of pension rules took effect where George Osborne allowed savers access to 25% of their retirement pots tax-free […]
Who Should Report A SAR?
The publication this week of the Law Commission’s report into the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements for the reporting of suspicious activity has prompted firms to return the perennial question of who should be responsible for reporting? It’s been a long-held theory that the quality and quantity of SARs reporting might improve if it was the […]
North West Solicitors Protects Firm And Its Clients From Cyber Threats
North West law firm, Bell Lamb and Joynson Solicitors puts cyber security top of their agenda after successfully being presented with Cyber Essentials certification through accredited assessor, Practical Vision Network. The approachable firm recognises the advantages of being awarded the certification, which is a Government backed accreditation scheme, that protects their firm from severe damage […]
Cyber Criminals Increasingly Targeting Probate Sector To Scam Public
In the past three months, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) have issued 12 scam alerts concerning probate, inheritance or customer entitlement to money. Just yesterday, Tuesday 11th June 2019, the SRA disclosed that a member of the public had been exposed to a convincing phishing email claiming that they were due a windfall. Phishing attacks […]
Is There Enough Protection Around LPAs?
Over the past 12 months, books and articles on how to live a good life past 65 years seem to have exploded. From the Financial Times, Life Begins At Sixty – the rise of the ‘young-old’ society to Extra Time – life lessons for an ageing world by Camilla Cavendish, it seems we have suddenly […]
Protecting your firm from the risk of cyber attack
If it is not already, protecting your firm from the risk of cyber attack should be high on your agenda. According to HM Government there are around 1,400 criminal organisations who are actively targeting the legal sector at this very moment, preying on out of date or inadequate methods of defence against cyber attacks. Why […]
Solicitor Struck Off For Illegally Backdating Enduring Power of Attorney
A solicitor has been struck off the register for illegally backdating an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) in order to help save his client money. The Solicitor’s Disciplinary Tribunal found that the respondent, Robert Henry Foster had been dishonest and lacked integrity. Although the incident did not benefit him financially, his actions brought the profession […]
Free Webinar On The Threat Of Cyber Crime & Fraud
Lawyer Checker are hosting a free webinar on Wednesday 15th May at 11.00am where they will cover the key changes to Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) and Lexcel accreditations which require firms to plan and control for the imminent threat of cyber crime and fraud. If it is not already, protecting your firm from the risk […]
Fraudsters Target Magic Circle Law Firm’s Managing Partner
The Magic Circle law firm Clifford Chance’s UK managing partner and solicitor, Michael Bates, has been impersonated by scammers in a bid to con unsuspecting members of the public. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) have now warned law firms after the emails sent had misused the name of Clifford Chance and Michael Bates by inviting […]
Protect Your Firm And Clients From Cyber Criminals
Exclusive risk management solution provider, Lawyer Checker now offers Cyber Essentials certification to safeguard your firm from cyber criminals. Our expert understanding of the legal industry and the imminent potential cyber threats means that we are in a unique position to ensure that your business is protected from the main threats without delay. With the […]
Cyber Security During Mergers And Acquisitions (M & A)
On face value, one may question what company mergers, acquisitions, or takeovers have to do with cyber security. But for law firms charged with overseeing the safe completion of such transactions, cyber security should be a core consideration, for two key reasons. Firstly, there is a risk that during due diligence (the process during which […]
Protecting Estate Funds With Consumer Bank Account Checker
When sending money to beneficiaries under an estate, can you be sure whose account you’re sending those funds to? Unfortunately, for many legal firms, the answer is no. The vast majority of firms do have a tried and tested due diligence process, but what these processes often don’t account for is the level of sophistication […]
Carer Steals Leon Brittan’s Brother’s Life Savings
Sir Samuel Brittan, who is the brother of former home secretary Leon Brittan, has been cruelly swindled out of his life’s savings. An arrest warrant has been issued for the conwoman, Michelle Braithwaite, who stole over £115,000 from author Sir Samuel Brittan. While suffering from reduced mental capacity, Braithwaite, who acted as his carer, plundered […]
Massive Mumsnet Data Breach Could Put Will Professionals At Risk
Mumsnet, the UK’s biggest network for parents, has been a victim of a severe data breach which could put Will writing firms at risk. Do any of your employees at your firm have a Mumsnet account? If your staff have an account with the website there is a possibility, they may have used the same […]
The Death Of Emails in Law Firms Within Five Years
An expert has predicted that in only five years law firms will stop using emails to be replaced with a more secure means of communication. Cyber crime is happening all the time and becoming more and more sophisticated. Law firms are particularly targeted due to a lot of sensitive information held on clients and their […]
Heartless carer steals over £300k from 102-year-old Woman
A callous carer has been jailed for nine years for stealing more than £300,000 from a helpless 102-year-old woman and ordered to pay back the cash. Edith Negus had meticulously looked after her money her entire life but her carer, Julie Sayles, 60, used her relationship to steal from her. Sayles conned Negus after setting […]
The SRA Risk Outlook 2018/19
Today the SRA have released their Risk Outlook 2018/19. They have included two new priority risks this year: 1. Managing claims ‘We are increasingly concerned about the practises of some firms that offer personal injury work, including holiday sickness claims. Similarly, some firms bringing payment protection insurance claims may not always be meeting the high standards […]
Fraud exposed inside several charities after investigation
Families for Survival and Save the Age Ltd Earlier this week, two former trustees of Families for Survival and Save the Age Ltd were disqualified for their part in a million-pound benefit fraud scheme. Chowdhury Muyeed and Asma Khanam were jailed in 2016 for their involvement in a £1.6 million scam which saw migrants being […]
Advice to protect consumers following pension cold call ban delay
Last month, the Government announced that the pension cold calling ban would be delayed until later this year.
