The courts are secular, says top family judge – Law Society’s Gazette

“The law has a neutral view of religious belief, the president of the Family Division said today, stressing the secular nature of the judges’ job.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 29th October 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Social mobility – is law leading the way? – Legal Week

Posted October 25th, 2013 in diversity, equality, legal profession, news, reports by sally

“The latest Alan Milburn report on social mobility has produced a little backslapping in legal circles, primarily because of this judgment: “Professions are undertaking more activity in order to improve but results are mixed: law leads medicine, media, politics and finance.”

Full story

Legal Week, 24th October 2013

Source: www.legalweek.com

Richard Cornes: 11-1 gender ratio Court’s Achilles Heel: Reporting of the Supreme Court’s start of the year press briefing – UK Constitutional Law Group

Posted October 16th, 2013 in diversity, human rights, Islam, media, news, Supreme Court, women by sally

“On October 2 at 10am, the United Kingdom Supreme Court held an hour long pre-term press-briefing to mark the opening of the Court’s fifth year. This blog looks not only at what was said by the Court, and asked by the journalists on the day, but also what was then reported.”

Full story

UK Constitutional Law Group, 16th October 2013

Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org

JAC seeks first part-time High Court judge – Litigation Futures

“The first part-time High Court judge could start sitting next year after the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) launched a competition that allows candidates to work under flexible arrangements.”

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Litigation Futures, 15th October 2013

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

New reforms to increase diversity of coroners – Ministry of Justice

Posted October 14th, 2013 in barristers, coroners, diversity, legal executives, news, solicitors by sally

“Changes designed to increase the diversity of coroners and competition for positions, have been announced by new Justice Minister Shailesh Vara.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 14th October 2013

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

Grayling: legal market needs to be more diverse and innovative – Legal Futures

Posted October 14th, 2013 in diversity, legal services, Legal Services Board, news by sally

“The new chairman of the Legal Services Board (LSB) needs to help develop ‘a more diverse and innovative legal services market that attracts new providers’, justice secretary Chris Grayling has said.”

Full story

Legal Futures, 14th October 2013

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Female lawyers earn a third less than males – The Lawyer

Posted October 11th, 2013 in diversity, equal pay, equality, legal profession, news by sally

“Female lawyers receive just 68 per cent of male lawyers’ total remuneration, while the average bonus given to a woman equals just half that of men’s bonuses, research by recruiter Laurence Simons has revealed.”

Full story

The Lawyer, 10th October 2013

Source: www.thelawyer.com

Anthony Bradley: A Review of Jack Straw’s Hamlyn Lectures: Aspects of Law Reform: An Insider’s Perspective – UK Constitutional Law Group

“As the lecturer disarmingly tells us at the outset of the Hamlyn Lectures for 2012, the illustrious procession of Hamlyn lecturers since 1949 (Lord Denning) through to 2011 (Jeremy Waldron) has ‘without exception’ comprised ‘lawyers distinguished by their practice, their academic study or both’. Jack Straw is an exception. Since an LLB at Leeds and two years at the criminal bar, he has made his career in politics – holding glittering ministerial office, throughout the Blair-Brown years, as Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary, leader of the Commons, and Lord Chancellor.”

Full story

UK Constitutional Law Group, 7th October 2013

Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org

Neuberger urges government caution over judicial review reform – Litigation Futures

Posted October 3rd, 2013 in diversity, judges, judicial review, judiciary, news, women by sally

“The president of the Supreme Court has urged the government to tread very carefully when considering whether to restrict the ability of people to bring judicial reviews.”

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Litigation Futures, 3rd October 2013

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Top female judge attacks failure to appoint women to Supreme Court – The Independent

Posted October 3rd, 2013 in diversity, judges, judiciary, news, Supreme Court by sally

“Britain’s most senior female judge has expressed disappointment at the failure of her male colleagues to promote another woman to the top of the judiciary.”

Full story

The Independent, 2nd October 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Diversity data collection and transparency – Legal Services Board

Posted October 1st, 2013 in diversity, legal services, news, reports by sally

“In July 2011, the Legal Services Board (LSB) issued guidance to regulators on diversity data collection across the legal workforce and the promotion of the transparency of this data at entity level. We have now completed a review of regulators’ progress in delivering the objectives in our guidance. The findings of this review are provided below.”

Full story (PDF)

Legal Services Board, 30th September 2013

Source: www.legalservicesboard.org.uk

BSB publishes diversity review of complaints processes – Bar Standards Board

Posted September 27th, 2013 in barristers, complaints, diversity, news, reports by tracey

“An independent review into the barristers’ regulator’s complaints-handling process has been published today by the Bar Standards Board.”

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Bar Standards Board, 27th September 2013

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Improving Judicial Diversity – Judicial Diversity Taskforce Annual Report 2013 – Ministry of Justice

Posted September 13th, 2013 in diversity, judiciary, reports by tracey

“The Judicial Diversity Taskforce has published its third report, which outlines the progress achieved since the previous report.”

Full report

Ministry of Justice, 13th September 2013

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

Damian Green Speech to the annual Superintendents’ Conference – Home Office

Posted September 12th, 2013 in crime prevention, diversity, equality, police, speeches by tracey

“Damian Green Speech to the annual Superintendents’ Conference on Wednesday (11 September).”

Full speech

Home Office, 11th September 2013

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

Fall in solicitor applications to bench ‘matter of concern’ says Judge – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted September 2nd, 2013 in diversity, judiciary, minorities, news, solicitors, women by sally

“The outgoing lord chief justice has called for action to reverse a decline in the number of solicitors applying for judicial posts. In his last annual report, published today, Lord Judge says ‘it is a matter of concern’ that there has been a decrease in the proportion of successful candidates with a professional background of solicitor.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 30th August 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

A work in progress – New Law Journal

“Jon Robins turns the spotlight on the conclusions & recommendations of the long awaited LETR.”

Full story

New Law Journal, 19th July 2013

Source: www.newlawjournal.co.uk

Judicial Appointments Commission performance in improving judicial diversity regarding women and BAME candidates: evidence pack – Judicial Appointments Commission

“This evidence-pack reports on the diversity of recommendations made by the JAC along gender and ethnicity for the court and tribunal judiciary. It compares this diversity against different standards, including the eligible pool and recommendations made prior to the formation of the JAC. It also looks at the change in diversity among the sitting judiciary since the formation of the JAC and shows how much work there is left to do before we have a truly representative judiciary.”

Evidence pack (Powerpoint)

Judicial Appointments Commission, 13th June 2013

Source: www.jac.judiciary.gov.uk

Calls for police ethics crackdown and positive discrimination in recruitment – The Guardian

“An investigation by the home affairs select committee into the standards of police leadership in England and Wales, after a series of scandals involving the most senior officers, found a patchwork of training, standards and accountability countrywide.”

Full story

The Guardian, 1st July 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Lady Hale becomes most senior female judge in British legal history – The Guardian

Posted June 24th, 2013 in diversity, judges, news, Supreme Court, women by sally

“Lady Hale has become the most senior female judge in British legal history with her appointment as deputy president of the UK’s supreme court.”

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The Guardian, 24th June 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Roundtable: future of the bar – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted June 24th, 2013 in barristers, debts, diversity, legal aid, legal education, news, pupillage by sally

“The fortunes of commercial and publicly funded barristers could hardly be more divergent at present. But it is not simply a ‘tale of two bars’. The bar’s monied and impecunious sections are co-dependent, according to those present at the Gazette’s roundtable discussion on the future of the bar. That division in fortunes is not new. But it has increased, and if further legal aid cuts follow, will become even more dramatic. As the discussion starts, it is noted that of 1,700 students emerging from bar school each year, perhaps fewer than 400 will secure pupillages – a modern low.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 24th June 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk