Law firms urged to ‘focus on what really works’ to tackle gender inequality – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 17th, 2023 in diversity, equality, gender, law firms, news, sex discrimination, statistics, women by tracey

‘Law firms have been urged to focus on what actually works when it comes to tackling gender inequality, after a survey found most female legal professionals believe measures adopted by their organisations to be ineffective.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 14th July 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Proportion of Black judges remains at 1% – Legal Futures

Posted July 14th, 2023 in diversity, equality, judiciary, news, statistics by sally

‘The proportion of Black judges in the courts and tribunals of England and Wales has remained at 1%, the same as nine years ago, while the proportion of Asian judges doubled in the same period from 3% to 6%, according to the latest judicial diversity report from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).’

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Legal Futures, 14th July 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Barrister’s experiment finds chambers value academics over experience – Legal Futures

Posted July 4th, 2023 in barristers, diversity, education, examinations, news, pupillage, recruitment by sally

‘The results of a practising barrister’s experiment of applying for pupillage in a different area of law indicates that a lack of academic achievement remains a huge barrier even then.’

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Legal Futures, 4th July 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Josie Welsh: The Power of a (Lord) Chief Justice – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted July 3rd, 2023 in constitutional law, diversity, judges, judiciary, news, women by tracey

‘From 1 October 2023, England and Wales will have its first female Lord Chief Justice (“LCJ”), with the recent news that His Majesty The King was “pleased to approve” Dame Sue Carr’s appointment to the office. Her appointment follows the announcement of the retirement of current Lord Chief Justice The Rt Hon. Lord Burnett at the end of September. In light of the news of change to England and Wales’ highest judicial office, questions will inevitably be asked about the role and its power within the judiciary and in the constitution as a whole. With this in mind, I want to make some initial observations about the role of the LCJ, noting that we may not necessarily understand the nature of LCJ power simply by reading relevant statutory provisions, since the power of the LCJ is partly a function of the role and partly of the character, personality and skills of the individual holding it. What this suggests is that the change in office-holder may prove to be more significant than it appears at first.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 3rd July 2023

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Carr to be first female lord chief justice – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted June 16th, 2023 in diversity, judges, news, women by tracey

‘Dame Sue Carr has been picked as the next lord chief justice of England and Wales, HM Judiciary announced this afternoon. She will take up the post on 1 October following the retirement of The Rt Hon. the Lord Burnett of Maldon on 30 September. Carr will be the first woman in the post. It is understood that the other short-listed applicant was also a woman, Dame Victoria Sharp.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 15th June 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Why The Magistrates Courts Aren’t Working – Each Other

Posted May 23rd, 2023 in courts, criminal justice, diversity, magistrates, news by sally

‘In 2022, the Criminal Bar Association voted to undertake industrial action, bringing the dire state of much of the criminal justice system into the public eye. Following successive cuts by the government, among the issues were unusable court buildings, including broken toilets, leaking ceilings and malfunctioning heating systems, and the dismal remuneration received by barristers – barristers who are tasked with working on the most serious cases across the Crown Courts.’

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Each Other, 19th May 2023

Source: eachother.org.uk

Profession paying “lip service” to diversity, LSB told – Legal Futures

Posted May 18th, 2023 in diversity, legal profession, Legal Services Board, news, reports by sally

‘The legal profession pays only “lip service” to diversity and “there is a lack of action or appetite to pursue meaningful change”, a report for the Legal Services Board (LSB) has suggested.’

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Legal Futures, 17th May 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Thousands more can apply to become judges under plans to expand diversity – Ministry of Justice

Posted May 12th, 2023 in diversity, judiciary, legal profession, Ministry of Justice, news by tracey

‘New rules will see up to 4,500 more lawyers from diverse backgrounds eligible to become judges under plans announced by the government today (11 May 2023).’

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Ministry of Justice, 11th May 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

Employers must review progress on race and ethnicity commitments – OUT-LAW.com

Posted April 12th, 2023 in diversity, employment, equality, news by sally

‘Employers across the UK must ensure that the focus on improving racial equality in their workforces does not wane.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 11th April 2023

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Law Commission widens planned discrimination ban in arbitration – Legal Futures

Posted March 30th, 2023 in arbitration, consultations, diversity, Law Commission, news, sex discrimination by sally

‘The Law Commission has suggested widening its proposed ban on discrimination in arbitration from the appointment of arbitrators to the conduct of the arbitration generally.’

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Legal Futures, 30th March 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Review pilot ‘will disproportionately affect black barristers’ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted March 23rd, 2023 in barristers, diversity, equality, news, pilot schemes by tracey

‘Black barristers will be disproportionately affected by negative reviews posted on digital comparison platforms, the Bar Standards Board has been told. An event organised by the Black Barristers Network also highlighted the potential limits to what barristers can say publicly in response to negative feedback – a problem that equally applies to law firms and individual solicitors.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 22nd March 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Taking the neurological lead: Professor Jo Delahunty KC – Counsel

Posted March 20th, 2023 in barristers, bullying, diversity, equality, mental health, news by tracey

‘Being neurodivergent is something of which to be unashamedly proud and offers the Bar an extraordinary skill set. Professor Jo Delahunty KC, the silk well known for challenging the status quo, tackles the preconceptions of what it takes to be a barrister in an interview with Charlotte Plowman.’

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Counsel, 13th March 2023

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

Credibility at Bar linked to “masculine heterosexuality” – Legal Futures

‘Macho masculinity and the alignment of what is generally considered professional at the Bar with heterosexuality, is creating problems for sexual minority barristers, according to a paper published recently.’

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Legal Futures, 17th March 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

International Women’s Day 2023: Interview with the Honourable Justice Martha Koome – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted March 10th, 2023 in diversity, judges, judiciary, Kenya, news, women by tracey

‘International Women’s Day 2023: Interview with the Honourable Justice Martha Koome, EGH (Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart), Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court of Kenya.’

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Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 8th March 2023

Source: www.judiciary.uk

Three new reports from the BSB show the impact of Bar training reforms – Bar Standards Board

Posted March 10th, 2023 in barristers, diversity, legal education, news by tracey

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has today published: an interim report from AlphaPlus evaluating the BSB’s Future Bar Training (FBT) reforms; the BSB’s 2023 Bar Training Report, covering the period from 2011/12 to 2022/23 and the Central Examinations Board (CEB) Chair’s Report, which presents the latest results for candidates sitting the centralised assessments in civil and criminal litigation in December 2022.’

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Bar Standards Board, 8th March 2023

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

City law firms using diversity schemes for “reputation laundering” – Legal Futures

Posted March 1st, 2023 in diversity, equality, law firms, news, solicitors by sally

‘The efforts of City law firms to become more diverse and inclusive are a form of “reputation laundering”, offering only the “illusion of change”, an academic and diversity specialist has argued.’

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Legal Futures, 1st March 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

The chain of reasoning: Lady Rose of Colmworth – Counsel

Posted February 20th, 2023 in diversity, equality, judges, judiciary, news, Supreme Court, women by tracey

‘Currently the only female UK Supreme Court Justice, Lady Rose gives a rare insight into the subtext of judicial interventions, the process of deliberations and makes the case for a broader pool of advocates and judges.’

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Counsel, 13th February 2023

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

RBB’s 10 next steps for an anti-racist justice system – Counsel

Posted February 15th, 2023 in bias, diversity, equality, judiciary, legal profession, news, race discrimination, racism by sally

‘In 2022, the Racial Bias and the Bench report found evidence of institutional racism in the justice system and fundamental flaws in the Judicial Diversity Strategy. Change is coming and all judges and lawyers can help revitalise the rule of law by implementing RBB’s 10 anti-racist recommendations, say Keir Monteith KC and Professor Leslie Thomas KC.;

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Counsel, February 2023

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

Bar Council launches a plan of action to improve ‘Life at the employed Bar’ – The Bar Council

Posted February 13th, 2023 in barristers, bullying, diversity, employment, harassment, news, statistics by tracey

‘Greater visibility, better career progression, and stamping out bullying and harassment are key recommendations in a new report on ‘Life at the employed Bar’ published by the Bar Council today. The employed Bar is more diverse, reports higher levels of wellbeing, and experiences greater flexibility and work/life balance than the self-employed Bar. However, the employed Bar also experiences bullying and harassment at similar levels to the whole Bar, has a far lower rate of taking Silk, and expresses some concern about perceptions of careers at the employed Bar.’

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The Bar Council, 8th February 2023

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Accent bias still holding back regional barristers, research finds – Legal Futures

Posted January 31st, 2023 in advocacy, barristers, bias, diversity, news by tracey

‘Barristers with regional accents still encounter bias from both clients and professional colleagues that those who speak in what is regarded as an “acceptable” accent do not, new research has found.’

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Legal Futures, 30th January 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk