The Law Society of Ontario has announced that it will use its statutory summary revocation power in late 2026 for licences that have remained indefinitely suspended under an order of the Hearing Division. The measure applies where the suspension followed a finding of professional misconduct or a failure to comply with a Hearing Division order…
Illinois restricts nonlawyer influence over law firms
Illinois has enacted Public Act 104-0801, introducing statutory limits on the role of entities owned, operated or controlled wholly or partly by people who are not licensed attorneys, including management services organisations. Such entities may not interfere with lawyers’ professional judgment, control the disclosure of client records or attorney-client communications, or exercise specified powers over…
SRA warns solicitors on safe and responsible use of AI
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has published a warning notice on the safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence as the technology becomes more common in legal research, drafting, document review and administrative work. The SRA recognises the potential for AI to improve efficiency and consumer services, but says its use does not change the standards…
New Zealand prepares digital court case management through Te Au Reka
New Zealand’s judiciary and Ministry of Justice are developing Te Au Reka, a digital case management system that will change how lawyers, court users, registry staff and judges manage cases. The accompanying Courts Portal is intended to bring filing, payment, case tracking and access to court information into a single online service, replacing a range…
United Kingdom opens legal services advisory AI Growth Lab
The United Kingdom government has opened the first sector programme under its advisory AI Growth Lab, selecting legal services as the initial focus. The initiative is designed for organisations developing or deploying AI-enabled legal services, including lawtech companies, law firms, alternative business structures, conveyancing businesses, public bodies, smaller businesses and technology developers. Successful applicants will…
South Africa restores in-person supervision for candidate attorneys
South Africa’s Legal Practice Council has issued a directive confirming the application of rule 22.1.3.1 to practical vocational training contracts and withdrawing the administrative notice on remote working issued in November 2022. With effect from 3 August 2026, every candidate attorney must serve in the office of the principal under the direct personal supervision of…
Singapore to review legal education and professional workplace norms
Singapore’s Ministry of Law has announced a broader review of legal education as law schools and the profession respond to changing expectations and workplace pressures. Minister for Law Edwin Tong said attrition figures alone do not explain why lawyers leave practice. A more important distinction is whether lawyers are pursuing other opportunities or are being…
India orders physical inspections of law colleges
The Bar Council of India has issued a direction requiring universities that provide legal education, or have affiliated Centres of Legal Education, to conduct physical inspections of those institutions before granting or continuing affiliation. The measure follows concerns about the continued operation of deficient law colleges and emphasises that a university’s responsibility for regulatory compliance…
New Mexico Supreme Court approves skills-based route to lawyer licensing
The New Mexico Supreme Court has approved a skills-based examination as an optional alternative to the traditional written bar examination. Under the new route, an eligible graduate of an accredited law school will receive conditional authority to practise, complete 675 hours of supervised legal work within one year and undergo midpoint and final reviews. The…
Independent review calls for major reset of Legal Services Board
The Ministry of Justice has published an independent public bodies review of the Legal Services Board, led by Richard Lloyd. The review examined the LSB’s statutory remit, strategic clarity, governance, accountability and organisational capabilities. It concludes that the LSB has lacked strategic clarity and that its oversight of frontline regulation has fallen short of what government and…