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11 August 2023 / Julie Norris
Issue: 8037 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Criminal
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AML: Radical reform on the cards?

Anti-money laundering supervision is under scrutiny & law firms are urged to make their voices heard: Julie Norris examines the potential options for change
  • Under reforms currently being considered, responsibility for the supervision of anti-money laundering and counterterrorism could be taken away from the Solicitors Regulation Authority and given to a new body, meaning firms could be subject to dual regulation in future.

HM Treasury is consulting on radical structural reform to anti-money laundering (AML) and counterterrorism (CT) supervision in the regulated business sector as part of the government’s wider effort to crack down on dirty money entering the UK. It recently announced it is gathering feedback on four new potential supervision models, with the stated objectives of, among other things, selecting one that enhances the effectiveness of supervision and improves coordination across the system.

While any changes introduced will impact an array of regulated businesses including accounting firms, barristers’ chambers and conveyancers, it is clear some of the proposals would be more far-reaching for law firms than others. Whichever

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Cripps—Radius Law

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Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

Switalskis—Grimsby

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Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

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Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

NEWS
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
Recent allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have reignited scrutiny of the ancient common law offence of misconduct in public office. Writing in NLJ this week, Simon Parsons, teaching fellow at Bath Spa University, asks whether their conduct could clear a notoriously high legal hurdle
A landmark ruling has reshaped child clinical negligence claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Jodi Newton, head of birth and paediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, explains how the Supreme Court in CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5 has overturned Croke v Wiseman, ending the long-standing bar on children recovering ‘lost years’ earnings
A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
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