In his latest newsletter, Canadian commentator Jordan Furlong argues that generative AI or GenAI is beginning to reshape the legal market in ways that could reduce the profession’s focus on corporate and organisational clients. Data highlighted by Professor William Henderson, notes that the share of legal receipts generated by organisational clients in the United States rose from 47.8% in 1972 to…
Legal regulators urged to adopt more forward-looking risk strategies
Risk-based regulation remains central to legal sector oversight, providing a framework for identifying potential harms, assessing their likelihood and impact, and directing regulatory attention accordingly. In established areas of concern, this model can be highly effective, particularly where regulators are able to draw on complaints data, supervisory engagement and enforcement experience to identify recurring patterns of risk. Its limits become more apparent, however, where…
Private equity-backed English firms enter Scottish market ahead of ABS reform
English firms backed by private equity are entering the Scottish legal market in anticipation of alternative business structure (ABS) reform. Although a limited form of ABS was permitted by the Legal Services (Scotland) Act 2010, the regulatory regime was never implemented. The Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Act 2025 represented a further liberalisation in law firm business structures, removing the requirement for majority lawyer ownership but implementation of this…
International Bar Association report identifies barriers to women’s leadership in law
The International Bar Association has published a new global report drawing on survey responses from 5,000 women working in the legal profession across 100 jurisdictions. It identifies persistent structural barriers to senior leadership, as well as widespread burnout and continuing gender inequality, notwithstanding growing attention to diversity and inclusion within the profession. The report points…
SRA ten-year diversity data shows progress but persistent gaps remain
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has published ten years of law firm diversity data for England and Wales, offering a longer-term picture of how representation across the profession has changed since 2015. The figures show progress in several areas, with the proportion of women in the profession rising from 48% to 55% over the period, and…
New Zealand Law Society highlights major legislative reforms affecting lawyer
The New Zealand Law Society has highlighted proposed amendments to AML/CFT legislation currently awaiting second reading in Parliament. In its latest advocacy update, it notes that two Bills would amend the AML/CFT Act and make a range of changes affecting reporting entities. The Society also says it has been pleased to see some of its…
Law Society of Ontario introduces enhanced transparency requirements
The Law Society of Ontario has approved amendments expanding both the information that lawyers and paralegals must report to the regulator and the information that will appear in the public Lawyer and Paralegal Directory. The changes follow Convocation decisions taken in May and September 2025. The LSO says amendments to By-Law 8 expanding reporting requirements…
Ireland to host new international arbitration hub
Ireland has been selected to host a new international arbitration hub, ICDR Ireland, as part of a wider effort to strengthen its position in cross-border dispute resolution. Announced by the Irish government together with the American Arbitration Association-International Centre for Dispute Resolution, the hub will handle international commercial arbitration matters across Europe, the Middle East…
Empirical study examines hallucination detection in legal language models
New research examines how “hallucinations”: confident but incorrect or unsupported answers, can be identified in AI tools used for legal question answering. The study presents a new method (“LEGALscore”) that uses signals from within the AI system itself to flag when an answer is likely to be fabricated or not properly grounded in legal source…
Legal Services Board publishes interim findings on litigation guidance
The Legal Services Board of England and Wales has published interim findings from its review of how frontline regulators provide guidance on the scope of litigation activities, following the High Court’s decision in Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys. The Mazur judgment highlighted uncertainty around what constitutes the “conduct of litigation” under the Legal Services Act…