In this guest blog, Partner Paul Bennett invited the author of a new Law Society book to explain why she wrote it on mistakes in the legal sector and asked other experts in the sector to contribute to it.
Paul advises firms responding to errors most weeks and thought this guest blog might be something different for our readers.
You can buy the book using the following links:
https://bookshop.lawsociety.org.uk/owning-up-to-mistakes/
https://bookshop.lawsociety.org.uk/owning-up-to-mistakes/
Why I Wrote Owning Up to Mistakes
By Pearl Moses
I wrote Owning Up to Mistakes after many years working in legal risk, compliance and regulation, and after seeing the same issue arise repeatedly across the profession. The most serious harm rarely flowed from the original mistake itself. It came from how individuals and organisations responded once something had gone wrong.
Too often, mistakes are met with delay, defensiveness or silence. Decisions are taken under pressure, accountability becomes blurred, and ethical judgment is sidelined in favour of damage control. Those responses increase regulatory risk, erode trust and can have a profound impact on the people involved.
The book is grounded in a simple belief: owning up to mistakes early and honestly is not a failure of professionalism, but a test of it. Ethical cultures are not revealed when everything is running smoothly, but when judgment is required under strain. While lawyers understand their regulatory obligations, far less attention is paid to the human and leadership challenges of admitting an error, speaking up, or leading others through difficult moments.
Owning Up to Mistakes brings together regulatory insight, ethical analysis and lived experience to explore how organisations can respond in a way that is fair, proportionate and sustainable. It looks beyond technical compliance to the systems, behaviours and leadership decisions that shape whether mistakes escalate or become opportunities for learning.
Ethics and leadership sit at the centre of that conversation. Paul Bennett, Partner at Bennett Briegal LLP, contributed chapters on ethics and leadership, drawing on extensive experience advising organisations through complex governance and regulatory challenges. His chapters focus on ethical judgment in practice—particularly where decisions are uncomfortable, consequences are significant, and leaders must balance accountability with fairness. They examine the difference between doing what is technically permissible and doing what is ethically right.
In writing the book I took a deliberately collaborative approach, reflecting the reality that mistakes are experienced differently across the profession. By bringing together perspectives on leadership, wellbeing, supervision, psychological safety and culture, I trust that Owning Up to Mistakes offers a rounded and honest exploration of accountability in modern legal practice.
Ultimately, this is a book about trust: within organisations, with clients and with regulators. My hope is that it encourages cultures where responsibility is taken early, leadership is exercised thoughtfully, and mistakes are handled with integrity when it matters most.
Pearl Moses, a senior compliance professional, barrister, solicitor, and a widely recognised voice in legal regulation, risk and compliance.
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