header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us
13 January 2021 / John Gould
Issue: 7916 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Profession
printer mail-detail

Misconduct: Crossing the line

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.
35718
Post-Beckwith, John Gould provides an update on the regulation of conduct outside of practice
  • Ryan Beckwith v Solicitors Regulation Authority: putting the correct questions on the table for the approach to conduct which is not in the course of providing legal services.

It was a bold move to offer a two-part commentary on the regulation of conduct outside of practice just when the Divisional Court’s decision in Ryan Beckwith v Solicitors Regulation Authority [2020] EWHC 3231 (Admin) was on the horizon (see ‘Misconduct outside of legal practice’, 170 NLJ 7907, p14; Pt 2, 170 NLJ 7911, p15). By great good fortune, I seem to have largely escaped major error and can go forward with my nine lives intact to talk about what the law is rather than what I think it should be.

Beckwith is an important decision which is not going to be appealed. The approach to conduct which is not in the course of providing legal services, particularly where sex is involved, has not had a secure foundation for years. No judgment provides an answer for every

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Private wealth and tax team welcomes cross-border specialist as consultant

Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias

Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias

International hospitality and leisure specialist joins corporate team as partner

Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven

Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven

Firm appoints head of intellectual property to drive northern growth

NEWS
Read All
NLJ this week: No such thing as a ‘Welsh seat’
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
NLJ this week: Jury reform risks justice for efficiency’s sake
The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’
NLJ this week: Crypto fightback offers ‘new frontier for law’
A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes
NLJ this week: Time to revive the duty to report crime?
After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
NLJ this week: When are experts truly ‘necessary’?
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll