The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has called for the ending of the monopoly on Bar education in Kenya, following an inquiry into high rates of failure in the Bar examinations. Results from November 2018 revealed that 80 per cent of those who sat the test failed, with only 308 of the 1,572 candidates qualifying. …
The Secret Sauce to Teaching Collaboration and Leadership to Lawyers: The 3-4-5 Method of Innovation
Abstract: It is a hard sell to convince lawyers that they need to learn how to innovate. However, when we consider the skillset and mindset that is honed in the process of learning how to innovate, this decision should be a no-brainer. This is because, as discussed in the prior chapter (Innovation: A New Key…
ICLR 2019: Encouraging Innovation in Legal Services Provision via Tech
The following content has been provided by the panel presenting on this topic during the morning on day 2 of ICLR 2019. Synopsis In a rapidly evolving legal landscape and digital world, legal practitioners are engaging an increasingly sophisticated clientele requiring solutions that lie at the intersection of different industry sectors. The panellists will be…
ICLR 2019: Changing Nature of the Profession; Workshop C1: Equality and Diversity
The following content has been provided by the panel presenting on this topic during the afternoon on Day 2 of ICLR 2019. Synopsis The panel will focus on sexual harassment in the legal profession as a regulatory issue, and explore the regulatory issues that can arise in the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in sexual…
State Bar of California seeking public comments on regulatory reforms
The State Bar of California is seeking public comment on proposals for regulatory reform put forward by the Task Force on Access Through Innovation of Legal Services. The task force was set up to improve access to justice through regulatory reform, following a report in 2018 that suggested that regulation was limiting innovations which could…
LSB updates governance rules to “enhance regulatory independence”
A new set of rules have been released by the Legal Services Board (LSB), which aim to clarify the separation between representative bodies and their regulators. The internal governance rules (IGRs) have been published following a series of public consultations that first began in November 2017. The rules which were released by the oversight regulator…
Anti-Money Laundering and Lawyer Regulation: The Response of the Professions
Abstract The extension of anti-money laundering (AML) controls to lawyers has been a controversial topic since the early 2000s. The legal professions facing these measures have adopted differentiated strategies of response, three examples of which are examined and contrasted in this paper. In the US, the legal profession vocally objected to the measures and has been able to deflect…
ICLR 2019: Regulating in Uncomfortable Spaces
The following content has been provided by the panel presenting on this topic during the afternoon on Day 1 of ICLR 2019. Synopsis As recent events have shown, regulating the conduct of lawyers who serve as elected politicians or in public office, as well as those who provide legal services to others in public office,…
International Conference of Legal Regulators 2022
Information about our 2022 conference will be posted here as soon as it becomes available.
Research on client care letters
Research by Optimisa commissioned by the legal regulators in England and Wales finds that client care letters – letters sent to clients to explain the lawyer-client relationship when the lawyer is first instructed – are not sufficiently effective. The research identifies principles to help legal services providers better communicate with their clients. These principles are…