Lawyers ‘exploit’ legal aid cash – BBC News
“Lawyers received tens of millions of pounds more than they were entitled to in legal aid payments last year, the government auditor has said.”
BBC News, 29th October 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: legal profession
Lord Woolf raps solicitors for CPR failings – Law Society’s Gazette
“Lord Woolf has blamed lawyers, the judiciary and government for blunting the impact of his 10-year-old reforms to the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR).”
Law Society’s Gazette, 22nd October 2009
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Laying down the new law: Why there’s more flexibility to entering the legal profession than ever before – The Independent
“Nobody should need reminding that law is a highly competitive profession and that demand for training contracts or pupillage – the on-the-job training solicitors and barristers undergo – far exceeds supply.”
The Independent, 14th October 2009
Source: www.independent.co.uk
College of Law Podcast 2: Richard Susskind OBE on the Future of The Profession – Charon QC
“Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter will shape the way that lawyers work in the future, Professor Richard Susskind predicts. He says that the legal industry will be transformed over the coming years by the need to embrace ways of improving efficiency such as new technology and outsourcing. He predicts that while the new legal landscape will reduce some of the conventional areas of legal work it will open up a range of new, exciting roles for young lawyers entering the profession.”
Charon QC, 21st September 2009
Source: www.charonqc.wordpress.com
“Charon QC” is the blogging pseudonym of Mike Semple Piggot, editor of insitelaw newswire.
Is the legal profession to blame for the fall in social mobility? – Law Society’s Gazette
“When the Cabinet Office issued its call for evidence for an investigation into social mobility and the professions, it was very clear on one point: it did not want any backchat on the impact of an unequal society on social mobility.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 20th August 2009
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Law Society to students: legal career may be too risky – The Lawyer
“The Law Society is set to launch a campaign warning students to think twice about embarking on a career in law.”
The Lawyer, 28th July 2009
Source: www.thelawyer.com
Privileged background of solicitors laid bare in government report – Law Society’s Gazette
“A government-commissioned report that lays bare the privileged background of most lawyers shows that class distinction still dominates the sector.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 23rd July 2009
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
The Times Law100 2009 – The Times
“Who are Britain’s most powerful lawyers? The debate this year was lengthy and sometimes fiery, but here are our picks.”
The Times, 23rd July 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Improve schools to give poor children a chance at professional jobs, report says – The Guardian
“Generations of poorer children will miss out on jobs in law and medicine unless Britain does more to give them a better education, a report on social mobility said today.”
The Guardian, 21st July 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Cross-Party Group to Hear Concerns Over Future of Lawyers Doing Publicly Funded Work – The Bar Council
“An influential all-party group of MPs and Peers will today hear wide-ranging concerns voiced regarding the future supply of lawyers with the skills to do publicly funded work in the justice system.”
The Bar Council, 6th July 2009
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
Lawyers revolt over auction of legal aid work – The Times
“Ministers are facing a growing revolt over plans to hold a ‘reverse auction’ to award legal aid contracts to the lowest bidders. Nearly 2,500 lawyers who say the scheme will cause ‘irreparable damage’ to the quality of the justice system have already signed a Downing Street online petition urging the plans be scrapped.”
The Times, 18th June 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Solicitors believe judicial appointments ‘not for me’, JAC research finds – Law Society’s Gazette
“Official research published today reveals a ‘widespread and underlying perception’ of ‘inherent prejudice’ in the judicial application process and suggests that solicitors still see the bench as a career for ‘other people’.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 4th June 2009
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Judge selection still perceived as unfair – The Times
“Perceptions of unfairnness and prejudice in the selection of judges still widely persist, three years after a new body was set up to modernise the system.”
The Times, 4th June 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Failure to gag Private Eye clears the way to publication of rulings against lawyers – The Times
“Thousands of disciplinary rulings against lawyers accused of misconduct can be publicised after one of Britain’s leading solicitors lost a battle in the Court of Appeal to keep his own case under wraps.”
The Times, 21st May 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Legal aid payments – Ministry of Justice
“The annual list of the highest paid solicitors firms and barristers from legal aid in 2007/08 has been published on the Ministry of Justice website.”
Ministry of Justice, 30th April 2009
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
It is time to scrap lawyers’ success fees? – The Times
“Next week Lord Justice Jackson, the Court of Appeal judge, will outline provisional proposals of his review on the costs of litigation. Among other things he is likely to urge a look at a new way to fund civil cases that could substantially replace no-win, no-fee cases for a large range of civil actions.”
The Times, 23rd April 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
How can ethnic minorities reach the top of the profession? – The Times
“Baroness Scotland of Asthal could be forgiven if she saw no problem. Britain’s first black, first woman holder of the post of Attorney-General is a living example of diversity in the legal profession. But, as with women political leaders, is she a one-off?”
The Times, 23rd April 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
