The strategy aligns with the findings and decisions from the Independent Review of the statutory framework for lawyers, which has been commissioned to examine the regulation and representation of legal services in Aotearoa New Zealand, this includes the structure and functions of the Law Society. The key shifts made in the new regulatory strategy are:…
The Scottish Government publishes its official remarks in response to reforms on legal regulation
The Scottish government plans to bring forward legislation to reform and update the regulation of legal services in Scotland. The proposed legislation comes on the back of a consultation undertaken in 2021 to identify areas of improvement in a regulatory system largely written in the 1980s. The consultation ran between October and November 2021, with…
Solicitors Regulation Authority of England and Wales issues financial sanctions guidance
The focus on how UK businesses interact with those connected to certain countries and organisations – and the Government’s sanctions regime – has increased since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There have been a number of changes to the regime, so the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has published guidance to help law firms in England…
Solicitors Regulation Authority of England and Wales warns about involvement in SLAPPs
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…