Nuptial Agreements: The Search for Intention – Family Law Week

‘Ben Wooldridge, pupil at 1 Hare Court, reviews the court’s treatment of nuptial agreements since Radmacher v Granatino [2010] UKSC 42, highlighting emerging trends and the growing significance of the parties’ intentions in determining enforceability.’

Full story

Family Law Week, 5th MArch 2015

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Telephone gateway ‘barrier’ to justice – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted March 4th, 2015 in legal aid, legal services, news, telecommunications by sally

‘The new mandatory gateway for civil legal advice may have been a barrier to access to justice, according to charity Public Law Project, which has published research showing the service has been used far less widely than expected.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 3rd March 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Law in Tesco (not Tesco law) – The Future of Law

‘Family proceedings involving children where neither parent had legal representation, increased by 30% in the family court in 2013-14, revealed the National Audit Office last year in a report on legal aid.’

Full story

The Future of Law, 20th February 2015

Source: www.blogs.lexisnexis.co.uk

Law chief marks Magna Carta with fierce attack on Cameron – The Independent

‘Britain’s chief criminal barrister will tear into David Cameron and past governments for treating public law “with contempt”, at a lavish £1,750-a-ticket government-backed conference tomorrow marking the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta.’

Full story

The Independent, 22nd February 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Legal aid providers “trying to innovate” but destablised by cuts – Legal Futures

Posted February 4th, 2015 in budgets, case management, law centres, law firms, legal aid, legal services, news by sally

‘More than a third of advice agencies that have so far implemented charging for legal services appear to have done so sustainably, a survey of post-LASPO innovations has found.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 3rd February 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Lord Chief Justice calls for independent review of legal market – Legal Futures

Posted January 29th, 2015 in competition, fees, judges, legal services, news, reports by sally

‘There needs to be an independent review of the operation of the legal market to investigate whether the Legal Services Act 2007 is working and why fees have not fallen in the light of greater competition, the Lord Chief Justice said today [27 January].’

Full story

Legal Futures, 27th January 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘Innovation in the delivery of legal services’ report – LegalVoice

Posted January 27th, 2015 in law firms, legal services, news, reports, speeches by sally

‘Legal aid firms and advice agencies are being encouraged to embrace new technologies to survive in the post-LASPO world. A new report by LV director David Gilmore and Matthew Howgate, following on from the 2014 Innovation in the delivery of legal services conference, provides examples of what firms and not-for-profit agencies are doing to survive in the wake of the legal aid cuts. The authors conclude that it is ‘impossible to see the LASPO cuts as anything but an absolute disaster’. However, they argue that across the advice sector there are ‘strong ideas’ emerging.’

Full story

LegalVoice, 26th January 2015

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk

LCJ: why is the cost of legal services increasing, despite more competition? – Legal Futures

Posted December 16th, 2014 in arbitration, competition, costs, legal services, litigants in person, news, reports by sally

‘“Steps must be taken” to find out why the cost of legal services is increasing, despite the changed market and “great number of providers”, the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas, has said.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 16th December 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

MoJ commissions new report into accessibility of legal services – LegalVoice

Posted December 11th, 2014 in legal aid, legal services, Ministry of Justice, news, reports by sally

‘Following the recent publication of a report on litigants in person in private family law (reported here), the Lord Chancellor has commissioned a review of accessibility and affordability of legal services.’

Full story

LegalVoice, 10th December 2014

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk

Lawyers and their Regulators: What Next? – Nicholas Lavender QC, Chairman of the Bar Council

Lawyers and their Regulators: What Next? (PDF)

Nicholas Lavender QC, Chairman of the Bar Council

The Bar Council, 24th November 2014

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

LSB approves BSB’s application to regulate entities – Bar Standards Board

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is pleased to confirm that its application to the Legal Services Board (LSB) to become a regulator of entities – businesses authorised to carry out and provide reserved legal activities – has been approved.’

Full story

Bar Standards Board, 2nd December 2014

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Speech to the Bar Conference – Nicholas Lavender QC, Chairman of the Bar Council

Speech to the Bar Conference (PDF)

Nicholas Lavender QC, Chairman of the Bar Council

The Bar Council, 8th November 2014

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Careers for the 21st century law student – The Guardian

‘Even in a profession as traditional as law, technology is powerful enough to kill and create a range of roles.’

Full story

The Guardian, 25th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Legal Services Payment Orders and Maintenance Pending Suit – No. 5 Chambers

‘Anne Smallwood, family law barrister at No5 Chambers, recently gave a talk titled ‘Section 22 Z A – Getting Paid And M.P.S’ at the Family Money Talks Seminar 2014.’

Full story

No. 5 Chambers, 16th October 2014

Source: www.no5.com

What could be the global impact of the UK’s Legal Services Act? – OUP Blog

Posted November 10th, 2014 in alternative business structures, competition, legal services, news by sally

‘In 2007, the UK Parliament passed the Legal Services Act (LSA), with the goal of liberalizing the market for legal services in England and Wales and encouraging more competition—in response to the governmentally commissioned ‘Clementi’ report finding the British legal market opaque, inflexible, overly complex, and insulated from innovation and competition.’

Full story

OUP Blog, 8th November 2014

Source: www.blog.oup.com

Building your brand – New Law Journal

Posted October 23rd, 2014 in advertising, law firms, legal services, news by sally

‘Lena Ahad explains how to market legal services more effectively in a digital world.’

Full story

New Law Journal, 23rd October 2014

Source: www.newlawjournal.co.uk

The Rule of Law and the Future of the Sector – Attorney General’s Office

‘Attorney General speech to London Law Expos on the UK’s long commitment to the Rule of Law.’

Full story

Attorney General’s Office, 14th October 2014

Source: www.gov.uk/ago

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.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 15th October 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

LSB attacks “arbitrary nature” of separate business rule – Legal Futures

‘The Legal Services Board (LSB) has attacked the “arbitrary nature” of the separate business rule used by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), and said the list of what is permitted and what is not is “confusing”.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 10th October 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Speech by Lord Justice Gross: RAF Legal Services Conference – Judiciary of England and Wales

Posted September 22nd, 2014 in armed forces, international law, interpretation, judges, legal services, news, rule of law by sally

Speech by Lord Justice Gross: RAF Legal Services Conference (PDF)

RAF Legal Services Conference, 18th September 2014

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk