Professional bodies unite to attack “chilling effect” of judicial review reforms – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Bar Council, the Law Society and the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives have urged peers to amend the judicial review provisions in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, saying the measures would have a “chilling effect”.’

Full story

Local Government Lawyer, 20th October 2014

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Public Access Work For The Young Bar – No. 5 Chambers

Posted October 15th, 2014 in advocacy, barristers, legal profession, news, solicitors by sally

‘“The Times They Are A-Changing” wrote Bob Dylan in 1963. Is public access (PA) a reinvention of the wheel or an opportunity for all lawyers? The work that barristers can now do is utterly different from a decade ago. The growth of McKenzie friends shows the legal landscape has been affected by financial constrictions and widening consumer choice. Solicitors have higher rights of audience and employed barristers can be advocates. Professionals from both sides wonder whether there is still a real difference. The answer currently is that there remain significant differences though the edges are becoming blurred. This article will not examine those differences or likely future of the professions. Instead it offers an insight to how barristers, especially young barristers willing to embrace change, can help their future while continuing to work with solicitors.’

Full story

No. 5 Chambers, 2nd October 2014

Source: www.no5.com

Deech calls for full independence for legal regulators – Legal Futures

Posted October 15th, 2014 in advocacy, legal profession, legal services, news, regulations by sally

‘The legal regulators should have full independence, and ‘approved regulator’ role of the Bar Council, Law Society and other professional bodies should be abolished, the chair of the Bar Standards Board (BSB) argued yesterday.’

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Legal Futures, 15th October 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Consumer panel calls into question barristers’ £500,000 indemnity limit – Litigation Futures

Posted September 17th, 2014 in barristers, indemnities, insurance, legal profession, legal services, news by sally

‘The Legal Services Consumer Panel has called into question the existing minimum indemnity cover limit of £500,000 for barristers and called for more research before the limit is extended to firms regulated by the Bar Standards Board (BSB).’

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Litigation Futures, 17th September 2014

Source: www.litigationfutures.co.uk

Changing legal education – OUP Blog

‘Martin Partington discussed a range of careers in his podcasts yesterday. Today [20 August], he tackles how new legal issues and developments in the professional environment have in turn changed organizational structures, rules and regulations, and aspects of legal education.’

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OUP Blog, 20th August 2014

Source: www.blog.oup.com

Law careers from restorative justice, to legal ombudsman, to media – OUP Blog

‘What range of career options are out there for those attending law school? In this series of podcasts, Martin Partington talks to influential figures in the law about topics ranging from restorative justice to legal journalism.’

Full story

OUP Blog, 19th August 2014

Source: www.blog.oup.com

City firms face massive disclosure challenge after privilege ruling – Litigation Futures

‘Three City firms – Clyde & Co, Stephenson Harwood and Addleshaw Goddard – face a combined disclosure exercise which could last for months and cost £2.5m after a High Court ruling on legal professional privilege.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 18th August 2014

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Legal aid cuts: In the new landscape, it’s the lawyers who could now suffer – The Independent

Posted August 4th, 2014 in barristers, budgets, fees, legal aid, legal profession, news, solicitors by sally

‘Public access work allows barristers to bypass solicitors to gain clients on fixed fees agreed in advance.’

Full story

The Independent, 3rd August 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Savile estate cash ‘to go to lawyers, not victims’ – BBC News

Posted July 31st, 2014 in charities, compensation, fees, legal profession, news, victims by michael

‘A charity set up by Jimmy Savile has warned a compensation scheme for the sex abuser’s victims could result in millions being paid in lawyers’ fees.’

Full story

BBC News, 31st July 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

More women judges will improve law’: Britain’s only female Supreme Court judge calls for more diversity – The Independent

Posted July 28th, 2014 in diversity, judiciary, legal profession, news, statistics, Supreme Court, women by sally

‘Britain’s only female Supreme Court judge says there needs to be more gender equality shown across Britain’s legal system and that by appointing more female judges the quality of justice could be greatly improved.’

Full story

The Independent, 27th July 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

PJ (Sri Lanka) v Secretary of State for the Home Department – WLR Daily

Posted July 23rd, 2014 in asylum, documents, forgery, law reports, legal profession, Sri Lanka by michael

PJ (Sri Lanka) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2014] EWCA Civ 1011;  [2014] WLR (D)  329

‘When local lawyers obtained relevant documents from a domestic court in relation to an asylum claim and thereafter transmitted them directly to lawyers in the United Kingdom, there was no basis in domestic or European Court of Human Rights jurisprudence for the general approach that there was a rebuttable presumption that documents so obtained were reliable, with the presumption capable of being displaced by evidence or submissions from the Home Secretary. Rather the jurisprudence did no more than indicate that the circumstances of particular cases might exceptionally necessitate an element of investigation by the national authorities in order to provide effective protection against mistreatment, although such a step would frequently not be feasible or it might be unjustified or disproportionate.’

WLR Daily, 18th July 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Torresi v Consiglio dell’Ordine degli Avvocati di Macerata; Same v Same – WLR Daily

Posted July 23rd, 2014 in EC law, freedom of movement, law reports, legal profession by michael

Torresi v Consiglio dell’Ordine degli Avvocati di Macerata; Same v Same (Joined Cases C-58/13 and C-59/13 ECLI:EU:C:2014:2088;  [2014] WLR (D)  323

‘Article 3 of Parliament and Council Directive 98/5/EC to facilitate practice of the profession of lawyer on a permanent basis in a member state other than that in which the qualification was obtained (OJ 1998 L77, p 36) meant that no abuse could be identified in the fact that a national of a member state who, after successfully obtaining a university degree, had travelled to another member state in order to acquire the professional qualification of lawyer and then returned to the member state of which he was a national in order to practise the profession of lawyer under the professional title obtained in the member state where that professional qualification was acquired.’

WLR Daily, 17th July 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Project pits women’s success stories against “negative narrative of diversity debate” – Legal Futures

Posted June 30th, 2014 in barristers, diversity, equality, legal profession, news, solicitors, statistics, women by sally

‘A five-year project to celebrate the achievements of women lawyers has been launched, culminating at the centenary of the Act of Parliament which abolished the bar on their entry into the profession.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 27th June 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Neuberger backs single regulator but criticises LSB for adding “cost and confusion” – Legal Futures

Posted June 25th, 2014 in consumer protection, legal profession, legal services, news by sally

‘The president of the Supreme Court, Lord Neuberger, has backed calls for single legal regulator, while accusing the Legal Services Board (LSB) of adding to cost and confusion.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 25th June 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Lord Chief Justice calls for single regulator – Legal Futures

Posted June 20th, 2014 in consumer protection, legal aid, legal profession, legal services, news by sally

‘In a major speech on the future of law, the Lord Chief Justice said last night that “there has to be a single regulator” for the legal professions. Lord Thomas said he could not see any “practical” alternative, and he would be “very disappointed” if there was not a much simpler and cheaper system of regulation in 10 years’ time.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 20th June 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Laws on legal professional privilege “need to catch up with digital age” – Legal Futures

Posted June 3rd, 2014 in electronic mail, internet, legal profession, news, privilege, reports by sally

‘National laws on protecting privileged legal communications are outdated and need to be brought into the digital age, according to the body representing Europe’s lawyers.’

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Legal Futures, 2nd June 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Bar Council to consider Jeffrey report into criminal advocacy – The Bar Council

‘The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, will review and consider carefully the findings and recommendations made by Sir Bill Jeffrey in his report, “Independent Criminal Advocacy in England and Wales” published today by the Ministry of Justice.’

Full press release

The Bar Council, 7th May 2014

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

‘Disquiet’ among judges over lawyer quality, report finds – BBC News

Posted May 8th, 2014 in criminal justice, judiciary, legal profession, reports by sally

‘There is “disquiet” among judges about the quality of lawyers in England and Wales’s crown courts, a report says. Former civil servant Sir Bill Jeffrey’s report raises concerns about training and the “talent pipeline” for future QCs and judges, and says keeping current arrangements is not “viable”. It also says defence lawyers should get special training before working on rape and other sexual offence cases.’

Full text of report

BBC News, 7th May 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Legal professional privilege does not automatically engage an EIR exception – Panopticon

‘FOIA provides an exemption (s. 42) expressly for legal professional privilege; as is well known, there is ‘strong inherent weight’ in maintaining that exemption. What about the EIRs? LPP is not expressly mentioned, but regulation 12(5)(b) EIR applies to information the disclosure of which would adversely affect “the course of justice, the ability of a person to receive a fair trial or the ability of a public authority to conduct an inquiry of a criminal or disciplinary nature”. Does information attracting LPP automatically come within that exception? Many practitioners operate on the assumption that the answer is ‘yes’. The Upper Tribunal has on a previous occasion, however, left that question open: DCLG v IC and Robinson [2012] UKUT 103 (AAC); [2012] 2 Info LR 43.’

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Panopticon, 6th May 2014

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

MoJ rules out further reform of legal services regulation – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 2nd, 2014 in consultations, legal profession, legal services, news by sally

‘The government has ruled out immediate further changes to the framework for legal services regulation following the wide-ranging review launched by the Ministry of Justice last June.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 1st May 2014

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk