APIL legal threat forces Ministry of Justice to announce outcome of 2012 discount rate review – Litigation Futures

Posted December 8th, 2016 in compensation, consultations, damages, legal profession, news, personal injuries by sally

‘The government is finally set to announce the result of its review of the discount rate for personal injury claims – more than four years since issuing a consultation – in the face of legal action by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL).’

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Litigation Futures, 7th December 2016

Source: www.litigationfutres.com

Lord Pannick vs Jeremy Wright: Who are the top lawyers doing battle over Brexit? – Daily Telegraph

‘Lord Pannick QC, 52, is a veteran of hundreds of cases in the House of Lords, the UK Supreme Court and the Privy Council.’

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Daily Telegraph, 2nd December 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

BSB extends Future Bar Training consultation to include a new proposal from COIC and the Bar Council – Bar Standards Board

Posted December 1st, 2016 in barristers, consultations, inns of court, legal profession, news by sally

‘On 3 October, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) issued a consultation document outlining three possible approaches towards the future of Bar training.’

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Bar Standards Board, 1st December 2016

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

CBA chairman on solicitor-advocates: “The label matters less than the content of the bottle” – Legal Futures

Posted November 22nd, 2016 in advocacy, legal profession, news, solicitor advocates, speeches by sally

‘The chairman of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) yesterday tried to cool emotions after former Lord Chancellor Michael Gove’s criticism of solicitor-advocates, saying that “the label matters less than the content of the bottle”.’

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Legal Futures, 22nd November 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Child sex abuse inquiry receives letters from four senior lawyers – The Guardian

Posted November 22nd, 2016 in child abuse, inquiries, legal profession, news, select committees, sexual offences by sally

‘The Commons home affairs committee is to hold talks on the future direction of the independent inquiry into child sex abuse after receiving letters detailing the concerns of four senior lawyers who have quit the inquest.’

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The Guardian, 21st November 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Hearing into handling of child abuse allegations against Lord Janner delayed – The Guardian

Posted November 17th, 2016 in child abuse, delay, inquiries, legal profession, news, witnesses by sally

‘A public hearing into allegations of child abuse against the late Lord Janner is to be put back to an undisclosed date, the national inquiry into institutional abuse has said.’

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The Guardian, 16th November 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Legal profession part of the problem as commission says social mobility is getting worse – Legal Futures

Posted November 17th, 2016 in diversity, legal education, legal profession, news, reports by sally

‘Privately educated people still dominate the legal profession, with barriers to entry for those from less affluent backgrounds are even more acute at the Bar than among solicitors, the Social Mobility Commission said yesterday.’

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Legal Futures, 17th November 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.com

Female lawyers fear “Trump effect” – Legal Futures

Posted November 10th, 2016 in legal profession, news, speeches, women by sally

‘Leading women lawyers have expressed their concerns that Donald Trump’s victory in the race for US president will have a negative impact on the legal profession in this country.’

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Legal Futures, 10th November 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Upholding the Values of the Profession Comment by Eleena Misra, Head of Professional Discipline & Regulatory Law Group – Littleton Chambers

Posted November 9th, 2016 in codes of practice, legal profession, news, professional conduct by sally

‘Whether it is a barrister struck off for evading train fares (recent press reports of the tribunal hearing of Peter Barnett) or for posting anti-Semitic tweets (Ian Millard – see below), to name but two recent high-profile instances of conduct found to be disreputable by disciplinary tribunals, or a British Olympic gymnastics champion subjected to a two-month competition ban for apparently laughing at a wedding as another gymnast pokes fun at a call to prayer (Louis Smith), it is clear that the prevailing climate is one of expecting the great and the good to be, well, great and good. Indeed, it might be said that just being famous is being seen as attracting a moral price tag or responsibility by virtue of the opportunity to influence people. There is currently no formal code of conduct applicable to celebrities, though perhaps sporting bodies are becoming more paternalistic in this regard, but it is certainly still the case that being a member of a profession comes with its own responsibilities.’

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Littleton Chambers, 3rd November 2016

Source: www.littletonchambers.com

Look on bright side of diversity progress, says Sikh top judge – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 28th, 2016 in diversity, judiciary, legal profession, news by sally

‘The first Sikh High Court judge has urged solicitors to be optimistic about diversity in the judiciary, despite acknowledging recruitment challenges.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 27th October 2016

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

MoJ set to press ahead with regulatory independence – Legal Futures

Posted October 28th, 2016 in alternative business structures, legal ombudsman, legal profession, news by sally

‘The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has no intention of dropping its plans to separate the legal regulators from their representative bodies, it said yesterday as it unveiled reviews of how the Legal Services Board (LSB) and Legal Ombudsman (LeO) are operating.’

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Legal Futures, 28th October 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Speech by Sir Ernest Ryder: Raising the Bar: Innovation and global opportunity for a forward thinking profession – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Posted October 20th, 2016 in barristers, courts, legal profession, speeches, tribunals by sally

‘Keynote address at the Annual Bar and Young Bar Conference 2016.’

Full speech

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 17th October 2016

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Judges prepare profession for ODR across less complex cases and court administration in the cloud – Legal Futures

Posted October 18th, 2016 in courts, dispute resolution, internet, judiciary, legal profession, news, speeches, tribunals by sally

‘Online dispute resolution “will become the norm for much of the less complex work in civil, family and tribunals jurisdictions”, the Senior President of Tribunals said over the weekend.’

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Legal Futures, 17th October 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Hundreds of UK lawyers register in Ireland in Brexit insurance move – The Guardian

Posted October 18th, 2016 in brexit, courts, EC law, Ireland, legal profession, news, rights of audience, solicitors by sally

‘More than 700 British solicitors have applied to register with the Law Society of Ireland this year as lawyers scramble to secure professional rights of audience in European courts.’

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The Guardian, 17th October 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Law degree “not a particularly good training” for the law, Supreme Court justice says – Legal Futures

Posted October 14th, 2016 in judges, legal education, legal profession, news by sally

‘Lord Sumption, the outspoken Supreme Court justice, has said he regrets the “growing tendency of would-be lawyers to devote themselves to the study of law from the age of eighteen”.’

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Legal Futures, 2th October 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

New advocates lack “basic knowledge” of ethical rules, report finds – Legal Futures

‘Significant numbers of new advocates are “weaker than might be hoped on basic knowledge” of ethical rules, a major report has found.’

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Legal Futures, 5th October 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Lawyers need to prepare for “customer service revolution” – Legal Futures

Posted September 22nd, 2016 in competition, law firms, legal profession, news, reports by sally

‘A regulatory agenda that is looking to help consumers shop around for legal advice means that many law firms are running out of time to get to grips with customer service, a report being launched at today’s PI Futures conference has warned.’

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Legal Futures, 22nd September 2016

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Solicitors slam The Archers for creating ‘unrealistic’ expections of British legal system – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 12th, 2016 in barristers, BBC, domestic violence, legal profession, media, news, solicitors, trials by sally

‘Leading solicitors have complained they are being sidelined by The Archers’ trial plot which has given those accused of crimes unrealistic expectations from barristers.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 10th September 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Back from maternity: Five common challenges and how to overcome them – The Lawyer

Posted July 26th, 2016 in employment, legal profession, maternity leave, news, women by sally

‘The job, the team and the clients may all be the same, but most female lawyers who I talk to on their return to work tell me that it’s the new challenges they face which can make it harder than they anticipated to feel like the balance between work, family and career is right.’

Full story

The Lawyer, 26th July 2016

Source: www.thelawyer.com

Law and Lawyers – Not All Bad? A Life in the Law – Not All Good? – Gresham College

Posted July 25th, 2016 in barristers, legal profession, news, solicitors, speeches by sally

‘Professor Sir Geoffrey Nice QC continues his Law series in the 2015/16 academic year, entitled ‘Law and Lawyers – not all bad?’.’

Video

Gresham College, 4th May 2016

Source: www.gresham.ac.uk