The Legal Services Board has published a new statutory statement of policy on ongoing competence. It sets clear outcomes that the legal services regulators should meet to ensure that lawyers have the necessary skills, knowledge and behaviours to provide good quality legal services. The launch of the new statement comes on the back of extensive policy development…
Dutch Bar provides special resilience training for criminal defence attorneys
The Dutch Bar has recognised that criminal defence attorneys who have clients behind bars can face pressure, threats and possibly even manipulative behaviour and is organising special resilience training to their members facing this challenge. Special attention is paid to manipulative behaviour and how this can lead to undesired influence on lawyers. The course covers how…
Bar of Ireland publishes independent review into the future of the provision of barrister services
The Bar of Ireland has today published a new independent report and strategic review on the likely future landscape for the provision of legal services by barristers with a view to identifying a strategic response from the Council to ensure the future of the profession. It follows a year-long process of consultation, analysis, and consideration….
CILEx, the legal executive professional body in England & Wales, seeks regulator switch
CILEX (the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives), which is recognised under the Legal Services Act 2007 as the front line regulator for legal executives is looking to switch regulators. Currently ‘specialist’ CILEx lawyers, legal executives and paralegals are regulated by CILEx Regulation (CRL), the separate regulatory arm that was established as a result of the…
Evidence-based promulgation: reconsidering the rulemaking process for rules of professional conduct
Much like the indomitable Pippi Longstocking, the legal profession has succeeded for decades in asserting its right to self-regulate. Judges play a key role in this regulatory regime, serving as both rulemakers and enforcers. Indeed, prompted by the efforts of the organized bar, the judiciary claims the inherent—and exclusive—right to regulate the practice of law…
Lawyer ethics for innovation
Law struggles to keep pace with innovation. Twenty-first century advancements like artificial intelligence, blockchain and data analytics are already in use by academic institutions, corporations, government entities, healthcare providers and others but many questions remain about individual autonomy, identity, privacy and security. even as new laws address known threats, future technology developments and process improvements…
A US study has found that recent law graduates in hybrid working have highest job satisfaction
A new survey by the National Association for Law Placement and the NALP Foundation has found that fully remote work may be losing some of its appeal — at least for lawyers in the early stage of their careers working across the legal profession. For those fully working remotely, the numbers of recent law grads…
The Solicitors Regulation Authority of England and Wales held a webinar on Anti-Money Laundering and how to conduct a risk assessment
The Solicitors Regulation Authority held an Anti-Money Laundering Webinar covering: risk assessment areas firms are getting wrong good practice in other law firms from our latest round of AML visits how to get your firm-wide risk assessments right and make it the backbone of your AML controls. The webinar is now available to watch online…
The Ministry of Law, Singapore, has introduced the Public Defenders Bill which will establish a Public Defenders Office
The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) introduced the Public Defenders Bill for First Reading in Parliament today. The Bill, when enacted, will provide for the establishment of the Public Defender’s Office as a department under MinLaw to administer criminal legal aid. The bill provides for the appointment of a Chief Public Defender and outlines the scope…
The Scottish Government has released the results of its public consultation process into the outcomes of the 2017 Roberton Review
In 2017, the Scottish Government commissioned an independent Review of the regulation of legal services in Scotland (known as the Robertson Review). The primary recommendation from this was: “There should be a single regulator for all providers of legal services in Scotland. It should be independent of both government and those it regulates. It should…