Category: diversity

Lammy Review of BAME representation in the Criminal Justice System: call for evidence – Ministry of Justice

Posted March 21st, 2016 in criminal justice, diversity, equality, evidence, press releases by tracey

‘In January 2016 the Prime Minister invited David Lammy MP to find out why official figures show that Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups appear to be over-represented at most stages of the criminal justice system, and what can be done about it. This is an independent review. It aims to make sure that everyone is treated equally, whatever their ethnicity.’

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 21st March 2016

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

BSB publishes report on diversity within its complaints-handling system – Bar Standards Board

Posted February 26th, 2016 in barristers, complaints, diversity, news, reports by tracey

‘Monitoring complaints against barristers to make sure disciplinary processes are carried out in a fair and unbiased manner has always been a priority for the Bar Standards Board (BSB).’

Full report

Bar Standards Board, 24th February 2016

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Qualifying as a barrister ‘may cost new students up to £127,000’ – The Guardian

Posted February 23rd, 2016 in barristers, diversity, legal education, news, universities by sally

‘Students beginning university may have to spend up to £127,000 to qualify as a barrister, the new chair of the Bar Council has warned.’

Full story

The Guardian, 23rd February 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Women in law: what needs to change – The Future of Law

Posted February 22nd, 2016 in diversity, equality, legal profession, news, statistics, women by sally

‘Why are there so few women at the top of the legal profession? Just one in five partners in top-20 firms is a woman, and just eight hold senior management roles in the top 50 firms, despite the fact that more women enter the profession than men. FLUX asked four senior lawyers for their take on the challenges and solutions.’

Full story

The Future of Law, 22nd Febraury 2016

Source: blogs.lexisnexis.co.uk/futureoflaw

UK courtrooms do not reflect diversity of the communities they serve, judge says – The Independent

Posted February 4th, 2016 in diversity, judges, judiciary, news by tracey

‘Schools and policymakers have a responsibility to address the lack of diversity in the judiciary to better reflect society as a whole, a top judge has said. The UK’s “white, middle-class, middle-aged, male” courtrooms do not represent the diverse communities they are supposed to serve, Judge Wendy Joseph QC said, emphasising her strong desire for “change”.’

Full story

The Independent, 4th February 2016

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Bar regulator publishes report on diversity at the Bar – Bar Standards Board

Posted January 29th, 2016 in barristers, diversity, news, reports by tracey

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has today published its annual report for 2015 on the diversity of the profession.’

Full press release

Bar Standards Board, 29th January 2016

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Higher education reform much-needed, but government must take time to get the framework right, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 20th, 2016 in constitutional reform, consultations, disabled persons, diversity, education, equality, insolvency, names, news, ombudsmen, Privy Council, universities by sally

‘Reforming higher education in England is both long overdue, and vitally needed to protect the sector’s hard-won reputation.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 15th January 2016

Source: www.out-law.com

Bar regulator seeks women’s experiences at the Bar, launches survey – The Bar Council

Posted January 13th, 2016 in barristers, diversity, equality, news, women by sally

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has launched a survey today to better understand women’s experiences of the equality rules of the BSB Handbook.’

Full story

The Bar Council, 12th January 2016

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Bar Council warns of threat to judiciary from lack of diversity among QCs – Litigation Futures

Posted January 13th, 2016 in diversity, judiciary, news, queen's counsel by sally

‘The senior judiciary “may not reflect the communities it seeks to serve” because of a lack of ethnic minority and female QCs, the Bar Council has warned.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 13th January 2016

Source: www.litigationfutures.co.uk

Number of female applicants for QC still stubbornly low, selectors say – The Guardian

Posted January 12th, 2016 in diversity, equality, news, queen's counsel, women by sally

‘The number of women applying for Queen’s Counsel remains “stubbornly low”, the appointments panel has said, after promoting 25 female barristers and solicitor advocates among a total of 107.’

Full story

The Guardian, 11th January 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Social background determines career prospects, say almost nine out of ten law students – Legal Week

Posted December 14th, 2015 in diversity, equality, law firms, legal education, legal profession, news, statistics by sally

‘Survey of law students finds strong feelings on influence of upbringing on career prospects, as law firms take new approaches to improve diversity’

Full story

Legal Week, 10th December 2015

Source: www.legalweek.com

Pop culture 101: a guide for out-of-touch judges – The Guardian

Posted December 10th, 2015 in diversity, judiciary, news by sally

‘After the release of a recent survey by the Sutton Trust showing that nearly 75% of senior judges are privately educated – compared with about 7% of the general population – many assume the judiciary in England and Wales is out-of-touch with popular culture.’

Full story

The Guardian, 10th December 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Judicial system should be “more ready to accommodate academics”, Lord Neuberger says – Litigation Futures

Posted December 9th, 2015 in disabled persons, diversity, equality, gender, judges, judiciary, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘The judicial system should be “more ready to accommodate academics” who were “more notable for their quality than for their quantity”, Lord Neuberger has said.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 9th December 2015

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Top judge leads calls to scrap mandatory daily Christian worship in UK schools – The Guardian

Posted December 7th, 2015 in Christianity, consultations, diversity, education, inquiries, news, school children by sally

‘Schools should no longer face a legal requirement to provide daily acts of worship of a Christian character, under radical reforms being proposed by a top-level inquiry into the place of faith in multicultural Britain.’

Full story

The Guardian, 6th December 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Call for fewer Church of England bishops in House of Lords – BBC News

Posted December 7th, 2015 in Church of England, diversity, education, freedom of expression, news, parliament, school children, terrorism by sally

‘The number of Church of England bishops who sit as peers in the House of Lords should be cut to make way for leaders of other faiths, a new report argues.’

Full story

BBC News, 7th December 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

New figures highlight difficulties of finding pupillage as diversity of Bar students increases – Legal Futures

Posted December 3rd, 2015 in barristers, diversity, news, pupillage, statistics by tracey

‘There is no problem with ethnic diversity on the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), new figures have revealed, with the number of students from Asian backgrounds increasing in recent years to the point where it almost equals the number of white students.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 2nd December 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Failure of QC appointment system to deliver diversity “should cast doubt on future of status” – Legal Futures

Posted November 24th, 2015 in barristers, diversity, news, queen's counsel, women by sally

‘Abolishing the status of QC should now be seriously considered in the light of research that shows male Oxbridge-educated junior barristers from London-based chambers are still far more likely to take silk, according to a new study by the London School of Economics and Political Science.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 24th November 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Transcript of the Lord Chief Justice’s Annual Press Conference 2015 – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted November 18th, 2015 in bail, barristers, bills, budgets, civil justice, closed material, costs, Court of Protection, criminal courts charge, criminal justice, diversity, DNA, expert witnesses, family courts, fees, forensic science, human rights, investigatory powers, judges, judiciary, law firms, legal aid, legal profession, legal representation, pilot schemes, sexual offences, solicitors, speeches by tracey

‘The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, held his annual press conference on Tuesday, 17 November, 2015, at the Royal Courts of Justice.’

Full transcript

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 17th November 2015

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Lady Hale: supreme court should be ashamed if diversity does not improve – The Guardian

Posted November 6th, 2015 in diversity, judiciary, news, Supreme Court, women by tracey

‘The UK’s supreme court should be “ashamed” if it does not radically improve its diversity in the next round of judicial appointments, according to its only female judge, Lady Justice Hale.’

Full story

The Guardian, 6th November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

#killallwhitemen row: charges dropped against student diversity officer – The Guardian

Posted November 4th, 2015 in Crown Prosecution Service, diversity, freedom of expression, malicious communications, news, racism, sex discrimination, universities, women by sally

‘Bahar Mustafa, the Goldsmiths student diversity officer who was due to appear in court after allegedly tweeting the hashtag #killallwhitemen, has had charges against her dropped.’

Full story

The Guardian, 3rd November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk