“No right” to judge women lawyers on appearance – Legal Futures

Posted November 27th, 2019 in barristers, equality, gender, legal profession, news, sex discrimination, women by sally

‘It is about time that men and women realise that they have “no right to judge a woman’s commitment to and ability to do her job based on her appearance”, a leading QC has declared.’

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Legal Futures, 27th November 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘Deplorable and terrible’: Bar warned of UK’s dwindling role on world stage – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The United Kingdom’s legal status on the global stage is under threat, an international law expert has warned, citing Brexit, the prorogation of Parliament and the dwindling count of UK judges serving on the benches of international judges.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 25th November 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Good practice for lawyers towards litigants in person – Family Law

‘Despite there being a variety of reasons why someone may choose to represent themselves in the family courts – this decision isn’t an anomaly. Now only 20% of family court cases have both parties represented. It’s a trend we’ve seen grow in recent years.’

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Family Law, 19th November 2019

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Ep 98: AI: Opportunity or Threat? – Law Pod UK

Posted November 19th, 2019 in artificial intelligence, legal profession, legal services, news, podcasts by sally

‘There should be a distinction between AI and algorithms being tools for lawyers as opposed to lawyers and laws being the tools for the use of AI. The huge emancipatory opportunities offered by technology could be lost if we don’t get on top of it and allow it to overtake us, as we subject ourselves to all its processes. Rosalind English talks to Emily Foges, CEO of Luminance, an Artificial Intelligence programme for the legal profession, about the practical applications of algorithms to the law. How can we avail ourselves of the codes before the codes manage us?’

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Law Pod UK, 18th November 2019

Source: audioboom.com

Solicitors “need to get out more” to boost profession’s image – Legal Futures

Posted November 13th, 2019 in legal education, legal profession, news, pupillage, solicitors by sally

‘Sixteen-year-olds have been invited to compete in a competition aimed at educating them about the work of a solicitor and testing their aptitude, with the winner receiving financial support to become one.’

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Legal Futures, 13th November 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Speech by Mrs Justice Carr DBE: Women in Commercial Law – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

‘Speech by Mrs Justice Carr DBE: Women in Commercial Law.’

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Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 6th November 2019

Source: www.judiciary.uk

LSB builds case for ‘continuing competence’ push – Legal Futures

‘The Legal Services Board (LSB) has heard calls for regulators to take a more “hands-on” approach to ensuring that lawyers remain competent through their careers.’

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Legal Futures, 31st October 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Mega-survey highlights need to grow “legal confidence” – Legal Futures

‘The largest legal needs survey ever run in England and Wales shows what a difference professional advice and ‘legal confidence’ among consumers makes to the outcome of their matters.’

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Legal Futures, 30th October 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Hallett urges ‘zero tolerance’ on sexual harassment – Law Society’s Gazette

‘A senior judge has called on all organisations to provide a mentor for employees affected by sexual harassment or discrimination. Lady Justice Hallett told an event celebrating women in the judiciary last night that many women who qualified in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s suffered sexual assault, discrimination and being patronised, but kept their heads down and hoped eventually their abilities would be recognised. They feared, “as some women today still fear”, they would be considered a trouble maker and their careers would suffer if they reported anyone.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 25th October 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Lawyer protestors advised to do “risk analysis” – Legal Futures

‘Lawyers keen to protest in the streets with Extinction Rebellion (XR) should carry out their own “risk analysis” before taking part, a regulatory specialist has said.’

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Legal Futures, 24th October 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Official worried that lawyers might “abuse” reformed DBAs – Litigation Futures

‘The government needs to be sure that allowing hybrid damages-based agreements (DBAs) will not encourage abuse by lawyers, such as speculative litigation, the civil servant in charge of civil litigation reform has warned.’

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Litigation Futures, 18th October 2019

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

#MeToo and the justice system: complaints up, but convictions down – The Guardian

‘The clearest impact of the #MeToo movement on the British justice system has been a sharp rise in the number of complaints made to police of rape and sexual assault over the past two years.’

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The Guardian, 15th October 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Legal profession excels in social mobility league table – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 8th, 2019 in diversity, government departments, law firms, legal profession, news by tracey

‘The legal profession once again dominates a league table of 75 employers doing the most to improve social mobility – occupying four spots in the top 10.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 8th October 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

First 100 Years podcast – An Evening in Conversation with Dame Janet Smith DBE and Dame Caroline Swift DBE – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted September 27th, 2019 in diversity, equality, gender, judges, judiciary, legal profession, podcasts, sex discrimination, women by tracey

‘Dame Janet Smith and Dame Caroline Swift can be heard in a First 100 Years podcast talking about their life on the Northern Circuit, their friendship and their distinguished judicial careers.’

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Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 27th September 2019

Source: www.judiciary.uk

‘Authorities say my 15-year-old client is 27 and want to deport him’: my job as a legal aid lawyer – The Guardian

Posted August 20th, 2019 in asylum, children, deportation, legal aid, legal profession, news by sally

‘I go home each night worrying about my clients. I wonder who would know if something bad ever happened to them.’

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The Guardian, 19th August 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Guidelines “preserve GCs’ independence amidst corporate tension” – Legal Futures

‘Comprehensive guidelines to boost the roles of, and relationships between, in-house lawyers (IHLs) and non-executive directors (NEDs), have been drawn up in the hope of minimising the chances of an ethical lapse damaging both the companies they serve and the public interest.’

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Legal Futures, 28th June 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Legal profession launches pledge to achieve gender equality – Legal Futures

Posted June 21st, 2019 in equality, gender, legal profession, news by tracey

‘Solicitors, barristers and chartered legal executives have launched a pledge to “achieve gender equality in senior ranks of the profession”.’

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Legal Futures, 20th June 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Women lawyers face uphill struggle on fees and salaries – Legal Futures

Posted June 19th, 2019 in bias, equality, fees, legal profession, news, remuneration, reports, women by tracey

‘Some clients expect discounts on fees for using a female lawyer while women who push for higher salaries are likely to be labelled “aggressive”, a global survey by the Law Society has found. The report concluded that quotas could help to tackle inequality as there was “no real equality or meritocracy in the legal profession”.’

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Legal Futures, 19th June 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Lawyers “confused by boundaries in wake of #MeToo” – Legal Futures

‘Lawyers and regulators are uncertain where the boundaries lie on misconduct in the wake of the #MeToo revelations, experts have warned.’

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Legal Futures, 10th June 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Mayson spells out hard choices in reforming legal regulation – Legal Futures

Posted June 7th, 2019 in barristers, legal profession, legal services, news, regulations, solicitors by tracey

‘The head of the independent review of legal services regulation said yesterday that scrapping regulation based on titles like solicitor or barrister and replacing it with a system based on legal activities “might not be as straightforward as some believe”.’

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Legal Futures, 7th June 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk