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NLJ this week: Confusing & unclear rules on money laundering

07 March 2025
Issue: 8107 / Categories: Legal News , Profession , Regulatory , Fraud , Legal services
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Is the anti-money laundering regime too vague? In this week’s NLJ, Jonathan Fisher KC, Red Lion Chambers, looks at two recent cases involving solicitors where the standards applied were assessed according to whether they were ‘adequate’ or ‘appropriate’.

‘The use of these two adjectives when setting the standard for AML compliance is confusing for regulators and the regulated alike,’ Fisher writes.

He notes that judges have recognised the difficult situation facing solicitors, who must make a judgement on the basis of non-specific criteria. Time for change? 

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Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

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Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Firm strengthens employment team with partner hire

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

Lawyers’ liability practice strengthened with partner appointment in London

NEWS
Tech companies will be legally required to prevent material that encourages or assists serious self-harm appearing on their platforms, under Online Safety Act 2023 regulations due to come into force in the autumn
Commercial leasehold, the defence of insanity and ‘consent’ in the criminal law are among the next tranche of projects for the Law Commission
The Bar has a culture of ‘impunity’ and ‘collusive bystanding’ in which making a complaint is deemed career-ending due to a ‘cohort of untouchables’ at the top, Baroness Harriet Harman KC has found
Lawyers have broadly welcomed plans to electronically tag up to 22,000 more offenders, scrap most prison terms below a year and make prisoners ‘earn’ early release
David Lammy, Ellie Reeves and Baroness Levitt have taken up office at the Ministry of Justice, following the cabinet reshuffle
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