Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The role of solicitors in facilitating ‘Organized Crime’: Situational crime opportunities and their regulation

  • Published:
Crime, Law and Social Change Aims and scope Submit manuscript

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Argus, The “Judge Jails Lawyer Who Carried Drugs,” The Argus (Brighton) 12 April, 2002.

  • Auburn, J., Legal Professional Privilege: Law and Theory (Oxford: Hart, 2000).

  • Baldwin, R., Regulating Legal Services. Lord Chancellor’s Department Research Series number 5/97, 1997.

  • Bell, R.E. “The Prosecution of Lawyers for Money Laundering Offences,” Journal of Money Laundering Control, 2002 (6 :1), 17.

  • Bennetto, J., “Solicitor Jailed for Laundering Crime Cash,” The Independent, 24 July, 2001.

  • Blum, J.A., M. Levi, R.T. Naylor and P. Williams, Financial Havens, Banking Secrecy and Money Laundering (Vienna: United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention. [Page references to this work are based on version printed from the Internet.], 1998).

  • Boon, A. and J. Levin The Ethics and Conduct of Lawyers in England and Wales (Oxford: Hart, 1999).

  • Bridges, M., P. Atkinson, R. Rhodes and R. Bosworth-Davies, “Criminalising Artificial Tax Avoidance,” NLJ 118, 30, January, 1998.

  • Bridges, M., P. Atkinson, R. Rhodes and R. Bosworth-Davies, “Criminalising Artificial Tax Avoidance – Part Two,” NLJ 185, 6 February, 1998a.

  • Bridges, M., P. Atkinson, R. Rhodes and R. Bosworth-Davies, “Criminalising Artificial Tax Avoidance – Part Three,” NLJ 185, 13 February, 1998b.

  • Brockman, J. and C. McEwen, “Self-Regulation in the Legal Profession: Funnel In, Funnel Out, or Funnel Away?,” Canadian Journal of Law and Society, 1990 1, 5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burrell, I., “Solicitor “Helped Convict to Launder £28 m,”” The Independent, 17 January, 2001.

  • Byrne, J., The Myth of Prime Bank Investment Scams (Montgomery Village, Maryland: Institute of International Banking Law and Practice, 2002).

  • Calavita, K., H.N. Pontell and R.H. Tillman Big Money Crime – Fraud and Politics in the Savings and Loan Crisis (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997).

  • Cartledge, J., “Shamed Lawyer in £6m Loan Deal Swindle,” The Star [Sheffield], 5, 28 March, 2003.

  • Clarke, M., Mortgage Fraud (London: Chapman & Hall, 1991).

  • Clarke, M., “Legal Aid for Asylum Seekers Doubles,” Daily Mail 9 May, p. 1 and p. 4.

  • Code of Conduct of the Bar of England and Wales and Guidance Issued by the Bar Council (2000) (7th edn.) (London: General Council of the Bar, 2002).

  • Cranston, R. (ed.), Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility (Oxford: Clarendon, 1995).

  • Davies, M., “Can the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors expect a happy birthday? – A short review of the first three years,” Professional Negligence, 1999 (15:3), 173.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies, M., “Representation before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal – A Post Human Rights Act view,” Professional Negligence, 2002 (18:2), 74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies, M., “Professional Self-regulation and the Human Rights Act,” Professional Negligence, 2003 (19:1), 278.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies, M.R., “The Regulation of Solicitors and the Role of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal,” Professional Negligence, 1998 14(3), 143.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies, M.R., “Whither Mutuality? A Recent History of Solicitors’ Professional Indemnity Insurance,” International Journal of the Legal Profession, 1998a (5:1), 29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies, M.R., “Solicitors, Dishonesty and the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal” International Journal of the Legal Profession, 1999a (6:2), 141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Department for Constitutional Affairs Competition and Regulation in the Legal Services Market: A Report following the Consultation ‘In the Public Interest’ (London: Department for Constitutional Affairs, 2003).

  • Dixon, C., “LCD Given Ultimatum on Fraud,” The Lawyer 8 August, 1995.

  • Dowling, N., “Drug Barons’ Lawyer Jailed,” Manchester Evening News, 4 July, 2002, p. 11.

  • Evans, A., “A Concise History of the Solicitors’ Guarantee Fund (Vic): A Marriage of Principle and Pragmatism,” Monash University Law Review, 2000 (26:1), 74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, Annual Report 1998-1999 (Paris: FATF Secretariat, OECD, 1999a).

  • Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, Report on Money Laundering Typologies 1998–1999 (Paris: FATF Secretariat, OECD, 1999b).

  • Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, Report on Money Laundering Typologies 2000–2001 (Paris: FATF Secretariat, OECD, 2001).

  • Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, Review of the FATF Forty Recommendations: Consultation Paper (Paris: FATF Secretariat, OECD, 2002).

  • Financial Services Authority, “FSA Warns against Too-good-to-be-true Investments” Press release PN/034/2001 (London: Financial Services Authority, 2001).

    Google Scholar 

  • Financial Services Authority, Money Laundering: The FSA’s New Role. Policy Statement on Consultation and Decisions on Rules (London: Financial Services Authority, 2001a).

    Google Scholar 

  • Fleming, J., “Litigation Settlement “Can be Used as Vehicle for Fraud”, Warn Leading Lawyers,’ Gazette, 3 September, 2002e.

  • Gee, J., “Countering Fraud in the NHS: Working with Professionals” Presentation to the Association of Chief Police Officers National Fraud Forum, October 2002.

  • Hainsworth, A., “The Legal Limits of the “Gatekeeper” Concept – The Civil Liability of Professional Service Providers for Assistance in Corporate Malpractice,” Professional Negligence, 2003 (19:3), 449.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayton, D. (ed.), Law’s Future(s): British Legal Developments in the 21st Century (Oxford: Hart, 2000).

    Google Scholar 

  • Holland, J.A. (Gen. ed.) and others., Cordery on Solicitors, Loose-leaf edn., issues 0–11 (London: Butterworths, 1995–2000).

  • International Chamber of Commerce, “Investors Alerted to Watch Out for Scams,” Press release 15 June (Paris: ICC Publishing SA, 2000).

    Google Scholar 

  • International Chamber of Commerce, “Fraud Can Sometimes Begin at Home,” Press release 13 September (Paris: ICC Publishing SA, 2001).

    Google Scholar 

  • International Chamber of Commerce Commercial Crime Bureau, Special Report Prime Bank Instrument Frauds (Paris: ICC Publishing SA, 1994).

    Google Scholar 

  • International Chamber of Commerce Commercial Crime Bureau, Special Report Prime Bank Instrument Frauds II (The Fraud of the Century) (Paris: ICC Publishing SA, 1996).

    Google Scholar 

  • International Chamber of Commerce Commercial Crime Bureau, Preventing Financial Instrument Fraud: The Money Launderer’s Tool (Paris: ICC Publishing SA, 2003).

    Google Scholar 

  • Joint Money Laundering Steering Group, Prevention of Money Laundering: Guidance Notes for the UK Financial Sector (London: British Bankers’ Association, 2001).

    Google Scholar 

  • Justice, Asylum (London: Justice, 2002).

  • Kocontes, L., “Client Confidentiality and the Crooked Client: Why Silence is not Golden,” Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics, 1992 283, 6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lancashire Evening Telegraph, “Errant Solicitor to Face Law Tribunal,” Lancashire Evening Telegraph, 8 May, 2002.

  • Lashmar, P. and Y. Ndege, “Police Quiz Law Firm in Asylum Scandal,” The Independent, 14 January, 2000.

  • Law Commission, Offences of Dishonesty: Money Transfers. Report 243 (London: Law Commission, 1996).

  • Law Commission, Fraud. Report 276 (London: Law Commission, 2002).

  • Law Society Notices, “Committee Nominations,” Gazette 15 July, at www.lawgazette.co.uk/gazettearchive/1998-07-15/00000040.html., 1998.

  • Law Society of England and Wales, The Cost of Default: A Consultative Paper (London: Law Society, 1992).

    Google Scholar 

  • Law Society of England and Wales, The Cost of Default: A Report (London: Law Society, 1993).

    Google Scholar 

  • Law Society of England and Wales, The Guide to the Professional Conduct of Solicitors (London: Law Society. [Referred to as “the Guide”.], 1999).

  • Law Society of England and Wales, Rules for the Twenty-first Century: A New Framework for Solicitors and Clients. A Consultation Document from the Regulation Review Working Party of the Law Society of England and Wales. (London: Law Society, 1999).

  • Law Society of England and Wales, Money Laundering Legislation: Guidance for Solicitors (London: Law Society, 1999a).

  • Law Society of England and Wales, Rules for the Twenty-First Century: New Rules on Client Relations and Business Operations. A Consultation Document from the Regulation Review Working Party of the Law Society of England and Wales (London: Law Society, 2001).

  • Law Society of England and Wales, Money Laundering Consultation Paper. 100/16 Gazette 31, 25 April, 2003.

  • Law Society of England and Wales, Money Laundering: Guidance for Solicitors (Pilot–January 2004) (London: Law Society, 2004).

    Google Scholar 

  • Leek Post & Times, “£38m “Dirty Money” Denial: Solicitor Funnelled VAT Fraud Cash through Client Account Jury Told,” Leek Post & Times (Staffordshire), 5 February, 2003.

  • Legal Services Ombudsman, Demanding Progress: Annual Report of the Legal Services Ombudsman 1999/2000 (London: The Stationery Office, 2000).

  • Legal Services Ombudsman, The Regulatory Maze: Annual Report of the Legal Services Ombudsman 2001/2002 (London: The Stationery Office, 2002).

  • Levi, M., The Investigation, Prosecution and Trial of Serious Fraud, Royal Commission on Criminal Justice Paper 14 (London: HMSO, 1993).

  • Levi, M., “The Organization of Serious Crimes” in Maguire, Morgan and Reiner 878, 2002.

  • Levi, M. and D.J. Middleton Falcone Project. ‘Dilemmas Facing the Legal Professions and Notaries in their Professional Relationship with Criminal Clients. National Report United Kingdom.’ Unpublished paper for the European Commission, 2003.

  • Lewis, J., “Not So Funny Money,” Gazette 30 June, 2000.

  • Liederbach, J., “Opportunity and Crime in the Medical Professions” in Shover and Wright (2001, p. 144).

  • Lord Chancellor’s Department, In the Public Interest? (London: Lord Chancellor’s Department, 2002).

  • Lund, T., A Guide to the Professional Conduct and Etiquette of Solicitors (London: Law Society, 1960).

    Google Scholar 

  • Lunney, M., “A Good Idea Gone Bad, or Just a Bad Idea? – The Establishment of the Solicitors’ Fidelity Guarantee Fund,” Victoria University of Wellington Law Review 1997, 317, 27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maguire, M., R. Morgan and R. Reiner, The Oxford Handbook of Criminology. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002).

    Google Scholar 

  • Malkin, B., “War Crimes Lawyers in UN Corruption Probe,” The Lawyer, 22 October, 2001.

  • Malkin, B., “Money Launderers” Used Mobile Phones as Front,” The Lawyer, 25 February, 2002, p. 6.

  • Malkin, B., “UK Lawyer in £8m fraud,” The Lawyer, 24 March, 2003.

  • Middleton, D.J., “Mortal Dangers, Moral Hazard and Mortgage Lending by Solicitors: An International Perspective,” Journal of Financial Crime, 2003 (10 :3), 255.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morton, J., Gangland: The Lawyers (London: Virgin, 2001).

    Google Scholar 

  • National Criminal Intelligence Service, United Kingdom Threat Assessment of Serious and Organized Crime (London: National Criminal Intelligence Service, 2002).

  • National Crime Squad, Three Charged in Connection with Bogus Asylum Applications. [Press release 20/02.] (London: National Crime Squad, 2002).

  • Naylor, R.T., “Wash-out: A Critique of Follow-the-money Methods in Crime Control Policy,” Crime, Law and Social Change 1999 (32:1) [Updated in Naylor (2002).].

  • Naylor, R.T., Wages of Crime: Black Markets, Illegal Finance, and the Underworld Economy (London: Cornell University Press, 2002).

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelen, H. and M. Frankhorst, Falcone Project. ‘Dilemmas Facing the Legal Professions and Notaries in their Professional Relationship with Criminal Clients.’ Unpublished paper for the European Commission, 2003.

  • Newbold, A.L.E., “The Crime/Fraud Exception to Legal Professional Privilege,” Modern Law Review, 1990, 472, 53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nicolson, D. and J. Webb, Professional Legal Ethics, Critical Interrogations (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999).

    Google Scholar 

  • Northern Ireland Organized Crime Task Force, The Threat Assessment 2002: Serious and Organized Crime in Northern Ireland (Belfast: Northern Ireland Organized Crime Task Force, 2002).

  • O’Dair, R., Legal Ethics, Text and Materials (London: Butterworths, 2001).

    Google Scholar 

  • Osborn, C., Mortgage Fraud (Sutton Coldfield: CLT, 1996).

    Google Scholar 

  • Paraskeva, J., “An Open Letter from the Law Society Chief Executive,” 99/34 Gazette 16, 5 September, 2002.

  • Passmore, C., Privilege (Sutton Coldfield: CLT, 1998).

    Google Scholar 

  • Paterson, A., “Self-regulation and the Future of the Profession,” in Hayton (2000) 29.

  • Reasons, C.E. and D. Chappell, “Crooked Lawyers. Towards a Political Economy of Deviance in the Profession,” in T. Fleming (ed.), The New Criminologies in Canada (Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1985).

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, J., The Laundrymen (revised and updated edition of book first published in 1994) (London: Simon & Schuster, 1998).

    Google Scholar 

  • Rohan, P., “Compensation Fund Left Depleted by Rising Fraud,” Gazette 13 July, 2001.

  • Rohan, P., “All Law Firms to Face Regular Inspections,” 99/40 Gazette, 1, 17 October, 2002.

  • Rose, N., “Conveyancing Rules, OK,” 96/19 Gazette 20, 12 May, 1999.

  • Rotunda, R.D., “Teaching Legal Ethics a Quarter of a Century after Watergate,” Hastings Law Journal, 2000, 661, 51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryle, S., “Simple Fraud Nets Millions by Enticing Desperate Firms,” The Guardian 26th January, 1996, p. 2.

  • Serious Fraud Office, Annual Report 1998/1999 (London: The Stationery Office, 1999).

    Google Scholar 

  • Serious Fraud Office, Annual Report 2000/2001 (London: The Stationery Office, 2001).

  • Shover, N. and J.P. Wright, Crimes of Privilege: Readings in White-Collar Crime (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001).

    Google Scholar 

  • Silets, H.L. and D.L. Overbey, “Where Does Advocacy End and Obstruction Begin?” Journal of Financial Crime, 2000 (8:1), 68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon, W.H., “The Kaye Scholer Affair: The Lawyer’s Duty of Candor and the Bar’s Temptations of Evasion and Apology,” Law and Social Inquiry, 1998a, 243, 23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon, W.H., The Practice of Justice: A Theory of Lawyers’ Ethics (London: Harvard University Press, 1998b).

    Google Scholar 

  • Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, Annual Report 2000/2001 (London: Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, 2001).

  • Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, Annual Report 2001/2002 (London: Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, 2002).

  • Solicitors Indemnity Fund, 13th Annual Report (London: Solicitors’ Indemnity Fund, 2000).

    Google Scholar 

  • Sprince, A., “The Liability of Solicitors to Lenders on Borrower Default,” Professional Negligence, 1998 (14 : 1), 3.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stibbard, P., “Tax Fraud – Limits to Secrecy and Professional Privilege (Part II),” Trusts and Estates, 1999, 13(6), 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tantam, M., “Taking Mortgage Fraud Seriously,” Solicitors Journal, 1988, 1570, 132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tapper, C., Cross and Tapper on Evidence (London: Butterworths, 1999).

    Google Scholar 

  • Tendler, S., “Fake Legal Aid Claims Netted Law Firm £5m in Six years,” The Times, 30 October, 2004, 6.

  • van Duyne, P. C., “Money-Laundering: Pavlov’s Dog and Beyond,” The Howard Journal, 1998 (37 :4), 359.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Duyne, P.C. and H. de Miranda, “The Emperor’s Clothes of Disclosure: Hot Money and Suspect Disclosures,” Crime, Law and Social Change, 1999, 245, 31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verkaik, R., “A Case of Criminal Ineptitude,” The Independent, 6 August, 2001.

  • Williams, D. and M. Bayley, “The Human Conveyor Belt for Asylum Seekers,” Daily Mail, 19 November, 2003.

  • Wright, R., Financial Crime and Money Laundering. Speech by Rosalind Wright CB at the 19th International Symposium on Economic Crime, Jesus College, Cambridge, 10 September 2001 (London: Serious Fraud Office, 2001).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cardiff School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, Wales, UK

    David J. Middleton & Michael Levi

Authors
  1. David J. Middleton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michael Levi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael Levi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Middleton, D.J., Levi, M. The role of solicitors in facilitating ‘Organized Crime’: Situational crime opportunities and their regulation. Crime Law Soc Change 42, 123–161 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10611-005-5655-2

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10611-005-5655-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation