Legal profession must be “more open about menopause” – Legal Futures

Posted September 4th, 2020 in equality, Law Society, legal profession, menopause, news, solicitors, statistics, women by sally

‘More openness about the menopause is needed, the Law Society said yesterday as it released guidance on experiencing menopause in the legal profession to mark Menopause Awareness Month.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 2nd September 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Lawyers for XR to perform “arrestable action” outside SRA offices – Legal Futures

‘Lawyers for Extinction Rebellion (XR) will perform a “theatrical and arrestable action” outside the London office of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) today in a bid to push the regulator “to confirm or deny lawyers’ rights to engage in peaceful non-violent protest, without fear of losing their right to practise”.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 4th September 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

EP 123: Judges and Lawyers: Enemies of the People? with Joshua Rozenberg – Law Pod UK

Posted September 3rd, 2020 in judiciary, legal profession, media, news, podcasts by sally

‘In Episode 123 Emma-Louise Fenelon talks to Joshua Rozenberg about his new book Enemies of the People? How Judges Shape Society and discusses attacks on judges and lawyers by the media and the government.’

Full Story

Law Pod UK, 1st September 2020

Source: audioboom.com

Triple threat to justice system in England and Wales, lawyers warn – The Guardian

Posted September 1st, 2020 in coronavirus, courts, criminal justice, delay, legal aid, legal profession, news by sally

‘The criminal justice system in England and Wales is facing the triple threat of a shortage of defence lawyers, financial shock as furlough assistance from the government ends and the mass postponement of trials due to the coronavirus pandemic.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 31st August 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Government pledges post-Brexit qualifications recognition – Legal Futures

‘The UK government will put in place a temporary system to recognise the professional qualifications of EU lawyers post 1 January 2021 if no agreement is reached before Brexit, it has confirmed.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 28th August 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Home Office wrong to refer to ‘activist lawyers’, top official admits – The Guardian

‘The most senior civil servant at the Home Office has conceded that officials should not have used the phrase “activist lawyers” in a promotional video posted on Twitter, although the tweet remains online.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 27th August 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

New instructions surge past pre-lockdown levels – Legal Futures

Posted August 28th, 2020 in coronavirus, legal profession, legal services, news, statistics by sally

‘Legal activity has bounced back to 130% of pre-Covid levels with conveyancing continuing to rise steadily and several other practice areas also buoyant, new figures have shown.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 28th August 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Quarantined legal professionals should not be permitted to attend court, says Law Society – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Law Society of England and Wales has warned that legal professionals should not break quarantine to attend hearings and tribunals despite government guidance that lawyers will be allowed to break the mandatory self-isolation period to attend court or tribunal hearings.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 21st August 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

MPs urge action on lawyers who facilitate “aggressive tax avoidance” – Legal Futures

‘The lawyers and others who devise and market ineffective tax avoidance schemes are often breaking the law and a few legislative tweaks will make it easier to prosecute them, MPs have claimed.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 11th August 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

MPs fear firms, chambers and law centres collapsing – Legal Futures

‘MPs have expressed concern that law firms, chambers and law centres may collapse because of the impact of Covid-19.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 3rd August 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

“Our goodwill has run dry” – hundreds to refuse out-of-hours hearings – Legal Futures

‘Hundreds of crime lawyers have issued public refusals to attend hearings in evenings or at weekends as new figures show that backlogs in courts and tribunals were growing even before the coronavirus.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 24th July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Legal aid minister under fire from practitioners – Legal Futures

Posted July 21st, 2020 in coronavirus, criminal justice, legal aid, legal profession, news by sally

‘Criminal lawyers took their fight for government support direct to the legal aid minister yesterday, haranguing him mercilessly during an online meeting and complaining that barristers were operating on “petrol fumes” due to the absence of jury trials.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 21st July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Call for impartial websites on quality of lawyers’ services – Legal Futures

Posted July 20th, 2020 in internet, legal profession, legal services, news, standards by sally

‘Independent websites providing impartial information on the quality of legal services providers are needed to guide people looking for a lawyer, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has argued.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 20th July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Legal regulators “too slow” with diversity action – Legal Futures

Posted July 16th, 2020 in diversity, legal profession, Legal Services Board, news by tracey

‘Progress by the legal regulators in understanding and tackling ongoing inequalities in the profession is “too slow” and lacks “strategic direction”, the Legal Services Board (LSB) has said.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 16th July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Top GC defends in-house lawyers’ approach to ethics – Legal Futures

Posted July 15th, 2020 in coronavirus, legal aid, legal profession, legal services, news, regulations by tracey

‘A leading general counsel has attacked the assumption that in-house lawyers “leave their morals at the door” when they join their companies.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 15th July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

AI redefining what it means to be a ‘great’ lawyer – Legal Futures

‘Automation in the legal profession will most probably be “a decades-long process” but artificial intelligence (AI) is redefining what it means to be a ‘great’ lawyer.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 6th July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Top female lawyers’ careers squeezed by bias and harassment – Legal Futures

‘The role of discrimination on the part of both general counsel and clients in disadvantaging female lawyers was revealed yesterday by a survey on improving diversity at partner level in law firms.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 1st July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Alex Schymyck: Why the proposed changes to asylum legal aid fees are unlawful – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘This blog analyses the legality of the Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020, which came into force on 8 June 2020 The regulations radically alter the renumeration available to lawyers who represent asylum seekers in appeals from decisions refusing to grant refugee status. They threaten the viability of legal aid provision and 66 MPs, including the Labour leader Keir Starmer, have signed an Early Day Motion seeking to annul the regulations. The immigration Bar has gone on strike and a major law firm has already indicated its intention to challenge the legality of the regulations.’

Full Story

UK Constitutional Law Association, 23rd June 2020

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

SRA to launch project on BAME student underachievement – Legal Futures

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is set to begin a multi-year project to increase understanding of why Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) students perform worse than white students.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 19th June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Your chambers aren’t colour blind, top QC tells barristers – Legal Futures

‘Barristers who believe their chambers are “colour-blind” and treat everyone the same “have a problem” and need to change their mindset, a high-profile black QC has said.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 22nd June 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk