The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has issued a warning notice to the 200,000 solicitors it regulates about the use of abusive litigation aimed at silencing legitimate critics Known as strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), these continue to be of concern for both the SRA and the public. It has therefore produced a warning notice…
The Legal Services Consumer Panel in England and Wales has found ethnic minority clients feel they are not listened to by lawyers
New qualitative research commissioned by the Legal Services Consumer Panel of England and Wales highlights that ethnic minority consumers have lower levels of satisfaction with legal services they have received. The report also suggests ways in which they can be improved. The in-depth engagement with ethnic minority consumers shows that they want prompt, proactive and…
Board of Trustees approve options for California Supreme Court to review to extend the Provisional Licensure Programme
With the successful Provisional Licensure program due to come to an end on 31st December 2022, The California State Bar of trustees has approved 3 options for extending the programme which are to be presented to the Supreme Court. The programme, a response to the COVID-19 Pandemic and directed by the Supreme Court, has seen…
The Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System publishes new Allied Legal Professionals report
IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver, announced today that it released its new Allied Legal Professionals landscape report, along with an accompanying online Knowledge Centre. This project seeks to help standardize a new tier of legal professionals nationally, with the goal of increasing the options for…
The 2022 Law School Survey for Student Engagement finds female students more likely to participate in online law school courses
The Law School Survey for Student Engagement has found female students and students who do not identify with their gender assigned at birth are more likely to participate in classes if they are online. The LSSSE surveyed more than 13,000 law students at 70 law schools in 2022. The goal of the survey, which was administered by…
Study published into the wellness of Canadian legal professionals
The National Study on the Psychological Health Determinants of Legal Professionals in Canada has been published. The research was undertaken by a research team at the Université de Sherbrooke led by Dr. Nathalie Cadieux, with funding from the Federation of Law Societies of Canada and the Canadian Bar Association. The report attempts to fill a knowledge…
Law Society of Scotland to introduce new anti-money laundering attestation process
The Law Society of Scotland’s Anti-money Laundering team has launched a new supervisory attestation process. This new process is set to reach practices which do not fall under the scope of the AML team’s full high risk inspection process. The new process will see the selected practices provide assurances across the 36 Key Compliance Principles…
The EU Anti-money Laundering Authority will be coming into force in 2023
A comprehensively updated EU anti-money laundering policy is set to establish the EU Anti-money Laundering Authority (AMLA) as part of its plan to tighten controls on money laundering and the funding of terrorism. The EU Anti-money Laundering Authority (is one of four legislative proposals about AML) will have a direct impact on the legal profession…
The Legal Services Board of England and Wales publishes new regulatory performance framework
The Legal Service Board, the oversight regulatory of England and Wales, has published a new approach to regulatory performance. This new approach invites the frontline legal regulators to take the lead on demonstrating that they are well-led and have an effective approach to regulating in the public interest. The new approach encourages regulators to continually improve…
State Bar of California changes the interpretation of a statute to allow for greater transparency during disciplinary complaints
The State Bar of California today informed the California Supreme Court that it is changing its interpretation of a statute to allow for greater transparency with respect to closed disciplinary complaints. The State Bar announced that it has changed its position with respect to the Business and Professions Code section 6086(1)(b)(2). This statute allows the…