Privilege waived in litigation between law firms – Legal Futures

Posted February 9th, 2021 in enfranchisement, law firms, legal profession, negligence, news, privilege by sally

‘The High Court has ruled that legal professional privilege was waived by the liquidators of a company when they released a set of documents to a litigant to help her sue her law firm for negligence.’

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Legal Futures, 9th February 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Parliamentarians hear call for quotas to boost profession’s diversity – Legal Futures

Posted February 5th, 2021 in barristers, diversity, equality, judiciary, legal profession, news by sally

‘There is a “lead ceiling” hampering the advancement of ethnic minority lawyers to the senior ranks of the profession and quotas are needed to bring about change, a leading asylum barrister has told parliamentarians.’

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Legal Futures, 5th February 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Profession claims victory in fight against extended court hours – Legal Futures

Posted February 4th, 2021 in coronavirus, courts, criminal justice, delay, legal profession, news, working time by sally

‘The legal profession claimed victory last night in the fight against extended operating hours (EOH) in the criminal courts.’

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Legal Futures, 4th February 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

New rules for legal practice: guidance for legal professionals – Family Law

‘The Ministry of Justice has published a page on the gov.uk website bringing together guidance for legal professionals on the new rules for various areas of legal practice.’

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Family Law, 28th January 2021

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Calls to LawCare about anxiety more than double – Legal Futures

Posted January 28th, 2021 in charities, coronavirus, legal profession, mental health, news, statistics by sally

‘Calls from legal professionals about anxiety more than doubled in 2020, the chief executive of welfare charity LawCare has said.’

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Legal Futures, 28th January 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Email attachments not covered by legal privilege, court clarifies – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Email attachments are not to be covered by legal professional privilege even if the email is, the Supreme Court effectively decided this week.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 21st January 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Legal Professional Privilege: Breach of a Company Director’s Duties and the Iniquity Exception in Practice – Exchange Chambers

‘LPP has been described as “a fundamental condition on which the administration of justice as a whole rests” (R v Derby Magistrates’ Court, Ex p B [1996] AC 487, 507). In the last few years there has been a significant amount of litigation relating to documents subject to LPP (see for instance Sports Direct International plc v Financial Reporting Council [2020] EWCA Civ 177 and Addlesee v Dentons Europe LLP [2019] EWCA Civ 1600). This is perhaps not surprising given how valuable and sensitive such documents will be in any litigation or investigation by a regulator. Each of these cases tests the boundaries of LPP. The recent decision of Tom Leech QC sitting as a judge of the High Court in Barrowfen is one such decision and particularly important for those who advise directors or are bringing or defending a claim against directors. Barrowfen is an important decision on the iniquity exception in the context of allegations of breaches by a director of his statutory duties under the Companies Act 2006.’

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Exchange Chambers, 4th January 2021

Source: www.exchangechambers.co.uk

Courts stay open as England plunged back into lockdown – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 5th, 2021 in coronavirus, courts, juries, legal profession, news, regulations by sally

‘Courts will remain open during the new Covid-19 restrictions applying across England, the government confirmed last night. Guidelines state that reasonable excuses for leaving home during lockdown include fulfilment of legal obligations, such as attending court as a lawyer or jury member, or to carry out activities relating to buying, selling or letting a home.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 5th January 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Financial Remedy Update, December 2020 – Family Law Week

‘Sue Brookes Principal Associate, Family Lawyer, Collaborative Lawyer and Mediator for Mills & Reeve LLP considers the important news and case law relating to financial remedies and divorce during November 2020.’

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Family Law Week, 10th December 2020

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Law Society: Race inclusion in profession not improving quickly enough – Legal Futures

‘Actions to improve race inclusion in the solicitors’ profession are not delivering change quickly enough, Law Society research has found, highlighting a significant ethnicity pay gap.’

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Legal Futures, 9th December 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Augmented lawyering: The challenge of AI is people, not money – Legal Futures

Posted December 9th, 2020 in artificial intelligence, law firms, legal profession, news by sally

‘The challenge facing traditional law firms from artificial intelligence (AI) is not a lack of finance to invest in technology but having the right “human capital”, a study from Oxford University has argued.’

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Legal Futures, 7th December 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Lord Chief Justice press conference December 2020 – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

‘Lord Chief Justice press conference December 2020’

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Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 2nd December 2020

Source: www.judiciary.uk

Lord Chief Justice sounds warning over unprecedented political interference in courts – The Independent

Posted December 2nd, 2020 in judges, judiciary, legal profession, news, parliament, political parties, rule of law by sally

‘The Lord Chief Justice has warned of unprecedented levels of political interference over the work of courts in England and Wales, suggesting that MPs should be taught about “boundaries”.’

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The Independent, 2nd December 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Speech by the Chancellor of the High Court to Harvard Law School: Online courts – Perspectives from the Bench and the Bar – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

‘Speech by the Chancellor of the High Court to Harvard Law School: Online courts – Perspectives from the Bench and the Bar.’

Full speech

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 25th November 2020

Source: www.judiciary.uk

Extensions to the Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Regime – Family Law Week

‘Matthew Moore, director of Infolegal, advises family lawyers of their obligations under anti-money laundering regulations following changes [to the] wording of what constitutes taxation advice.’

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Family Law Week, 24th November 2020

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Lord Chancellor rails against lawyers who “vaunt political views” online – Legal Futures

‘The Lord Chancellor yesterday told lawyers who “vaunt their political views” on social media to raise their profile and attract work that they are giving the profession a bad name.’

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Legal Futures, 19th November 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Legal aid lawyers under severe pressure because of Covid – Legal Futures

‘Four-fifths of legal aid lawyers have experienced stress as a result of the pandemic, with more than half of them blaming longer working hours, according to a survey.’

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Legal Futures, 18th November 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Family lawyers “must be forced to follow good practice” – Legal Futures

‘Family lawyers should be forced to follow good practice to protect children from “acrimonious legal representation” and report it to their regulator, a major report has concluded.’

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Legal Futures, 17th November 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Remote Hearings in the Family of Courts of England and Wales: what the research shows – Transparency Project

‘Hearings in the family courts of England and Wales are almost unrecognisable today to the hearings that took place prior to the outbreak of Covid-19. On 23 March 2020, it was announced that a nationwide lockdown was to begin the following day and last indefinitely. Between 23 March and 6 April, video hearings increased by 340% across courts and tribunals in England and Wales. Audio hearings increased by over 500%. Today, remote and hybrid (where some people attend in person and some via a telephone or video link) hearings have become commonplace. Even final hearings are now being conducted remotely. The transition to remote and hybrid hearings has helped to mitigate the delay before cases are heard. It helping to minimise an increasing backlog of cases. Telephone and video hearings have their benefits for parents, children and professionals alike, which might even see remote hearings continue in use in some cases beyond the pandemic. However, remote hearings come at a cost, as two consultations by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory (NFJO) demonstrate.’

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Transparency Project, 13th November 2020

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

Hodge worries about impact of pandemic on young lawyers – Litigation Futures

‘The deputy president of the Supreme Court has expressed fears that young lawyers have been unable to train properly during the pandemic and urged the profession to ensure there is no lasting damage to their education.’

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Litigation Futures, 12th November 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com