News in Brief

Ethics on the phone

Professional conduct and ethics have proved to be hot topics for solicitors. The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s free ethics helpline dealt with more than 57,000 enquiries from the profession, an average of 240 per day, in the year leading up to the end of January.

Miners’ solicitors suspended

Two partners at Raleys Solicitors, Barnsley, Derek Barber and Derek Firth, have been suspended from practice for two years and four years respectively by the Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal over their handling of the miners’ health compensation scheme. A third partner, Jonathan Markham, has been suspended from practice for six months.

In-house advocacy

Bar Council chairman Desmond Browne has criticised the increasing quantity of advocacy work being handled inhouse by the Crown Prosecution Service. Addressing the European Bar Presidents’ conference last week, he said: “We need to start a public debate as to whether we wish to see a monolithic state prosecutor, and how in future young self-employed barristers will learn their trade if they do not receive instructions to prosecute.”