Military mettle – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted June 22nd, 2020 in armed forces, coronavirus, legal profession, legal services, news by sally

‘ “Warfare no longer looks like a tank driving over a battlefield,” says the head of Army Legal Services. These days lawyers are on the frontline – in every sense.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 22nd June 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Where are my black sisters? The intersection of religion, race and gender in the AAP legal community – Garden Court North Chambers

‘I am a hijabi (head-scarf wearing Muslim) Palestinian-British lawyer who has worked in the progressive Inquests/Actions Against the Police (AAP) field for the past 7 years. I started out as a paralegal, became a solicitor and am now a pupil barrister. I have met, or know of, many of the lawyers whose talent and (often unpaid) hard work props up this niche but vital corner of the legal system. Working as an AAP lawyer is beyond rewarding and the people you get to meet, clients and colleagues, are inspiring. As a hijabi AAP lawyer, this area can also be isolating and unwelcoming at times.’

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Garden Court North Chambers, 15th June 2020

Source: gcnchambers.co.uk

ABSs “reshaping the boundaries of law” with integrated services – Legal Futures

‘Alternative business structures (ABSs) are reshaping the boundaries of the law by emphasising the benefit of integrated professional services, rather than pure legal knowledge, a leading academic has argued.’

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Legal Futures, 17th June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

MPs offer hope for lawyers locked out of Covid-19 support – Legal Futures

‘The Law Society and Bar Council have urged the government to act on a report from MPs that that would help lawyers who have fallen through the gaps of the coronavirus support schemes.’

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Legal Futures, 16th June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

EHRC urges compulsory disability training for lawyers – Legal Futures

‘Disability awareness should be a professional requirement, and a mandatory element of criminal lawyers’ CPD, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has recommended.’

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Legal Futures, 15th June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Legal regulators cool on the idea of being abolished – Legal Futures

‘Legal regulators have reacted coolly to the recommendation of Professor Stephen Mayson that they be replaced by a single organisation, arguing instead the case for specialism.’

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Legal Futures, 12th June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

What It’s Like Being A Black Lawyer Working In The UK’s Criminal Justice System In 2020 – Elle Magazine

‘Abimbola Johnson is a Black criminal defence barrister, whose experience of the justice system in the UK brings recent events in the US even closer to home.’

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Elle Magazine, 5th June 2020

Source: www.elle.com

Alexandra Wilson discusses how we can tip the balance within the legal profession: we need to reflect that Black lives matter – 5SAH

‘The Black Lives Matter movement (BLM), a global organisation in the UK, US and Canada, was founded in 2013 in response to the death of Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of the man that shot him. BLM connects people from all over the world who want justice and seek to put an end to state violence against Black people.’

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5SAH, 12th June 2020

Source: www.5sah.co.uk

Mayson calls for single regulator of all legal services – Legal Futures

Posted June 11th, 2020 in legal profession, legal services, Legal Services Board, news, reports by sally

‘All providers of legal services, whether legally qualified or not, should be registered and regulated by a single regulator, a major review has concluded.’

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Legal Futures, 11th June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Black Lawyers On Working In The UK’s Criminal Justice System – Each Other

‘The UK’s criminal justice system is under renewed scrutiny amid a wave of anti-racism protests. EachOther speaks to leading black lawyers to celebrate their work and hear their views on what reform is needed.’

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Each Other, 9th June 2020

Source: eachother.org.uk

LSB eyes major changes to legal regulation – Legal Futures

Posted June 9th, 2020 in competition, legal profession, legal services, news by sally

‘The Legal Services Board (LSB) is set to conduct a major review on the extent to which it can reform the regulatory regime – including the reserved legal activities (RLAs) – using its existing powers.’

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Legal Futures, 9th June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Black lawyers launch initiative to fight racial injustice – Legal Futures

‘A group of lawyers has begun crowdfunding to support a new initiative aiming to combat racial injustice by facilitating access to justice, funding and legal representation.’

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Legal Futures, 4th June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

COVID-19 Guidance Tracker – Six Pump Court

Posted May 29th, 2020 in computer programs, coronavirus, legal profession, news, regulations by sally

‘The “COVID-19 Guidance Tracker” is a new resource set up by the Regulatory team at Six Pump Court which is designed to enable businesses and legal professionals to more easily navigate to the applicable COVID-19 guidance that is most relevant to their area of work.’

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Six Pump Court, May 2020

Source: www.6pumpcourt.co.uk

Has coronavirus changed the UK justice system for ever? – The Guardian

‘The pandemic has led to big changes in trials, many of of which are likely to be permanent.’

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The Guardian, 24th May 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Female barristers warn of “disproportionate attrition” during Covid-19 – Legal Futures

‘Female barristers have urged the courts and chambers to take action to avoid the coronavirus crisis leading to “further and disproportionate attrition of women from the Bar”.’

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Legal Futures, 20th May 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Making defendants state nationality is ‘racialising’ UK courts – report – The Guardian

‘The impartiality of the criminal justice system is being undermined by the requirement that defendants declare their nationality at the start of proceedings, a report into the legislation has said.’

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The Guardian, 18th May 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

The Bar in the time of coronavirus – Counsel

Posted May 15th, 2020 in barristers, coronavirus, legal profession, news, remote hearings by sally

‘The Bar… will it ever be the same again? Melanie Tether and Nadia Motraghi analyse some of the immediate challenges – how to assess the suitability of an individual case for a remote hearing; how to ensure full participation of all parties so that cases are dealt with justly, as well as on an equal footing; and how to enable open justice.’

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Counsel, May 2020

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

Covid-19 “exacerbating” inequality in profession – Legal Futures

‘Women lawyers are worried that the coronavirus crisis is exacerbating inequalities in the profession, with the pandemic hitting them hard, a survey has found.’

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Legal Futures, 15th May 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Court hearings running at half pre-virus level – Legal Futures

‘The courts and tribunals in England and Wales are now conducting almost half as many civil and criminal hearings as they did before the coronavirus crisis, a justice minister said yesterday.’

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Legal Futures, 5th April 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

LSB to check random sample of disciplinary decisions – Legal Futures

‘The Legal Services Board (LSB) is planning to review a “random sample” of regulators’ disciplinary decisions to ensure the right processes and procedures are in place.’

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Legal Futures, 4th May 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk