On the 18th December 2020 the Irish Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) took over the role or regulating advertising by legal practitioners, a role previously held by the Law Society (for solicitors). The rule change comes about under the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 (Advertising) Regulations 2020, which applies to print, audio, visual and online advertising….
Bar Standards Board of England and Wales updates Brexit guidance
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has updated its handbook to reflect changes for lawyers practising in the UK. The new rules were implemented at 11pm on the 3st December 2020, and affect Registered European Lawyers (RELs) who are practising at the Bar of England and Wales, and European lawyers wishing to be admitted to the…
Solicitors Regulation Authority publishes compliance officers conference online
The Solicitors Regulation Authority of England and Wales (SRA), has published recordings of their recent compliance officers (COLP) conference on their website. Due to the content of the conference, looking at regulatory and compliance developments, ICLR members may well find the content interesting and relevant to their own regulatory work. Sessions included: Discussions around rule…
Victoria Legal Services Board recommends significant changes to CPD
On the 25th November, the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner (VLSB) released the findings of an independent review into Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in Victoria. The review was conducted by independent consultant Chris Humphreys and involved interviews with over 170 organisation and individuals about how the system in Victoria could be improved, enabling the…
Regulatory developments in Ireland
On the 19th November, The Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) published two separate reports with recommendations to the Minister for Justice. The first report is entitled, “Setting Standards: Legal Practitioner Education and Training“. The report is focused on examining the competence and standards required to practise as either a Solicitor or a Barrister in Ireland….
Canadian Bar Association releases new resources to improve access to justice
The Canadian Bar Association has released a new guide aimed at addressing the country’s access to justice crisis. The guide has been developed by the CBS’s Access to Justice Subcommittee, based on past research, particularly the Reaching Equal Justice Report. The guide is divided into three different sections, with each section providing background to the…
Legal Services Board of England and Wales releases ten year report
A new report by the Legal Services Board (LSB) was published on the 25th November, the report is designed to give a review of the legal services sector, ten years since the initiation of independent regulation. The report is entitled “The State of Legal Services 2020” and is made up of a narrative section and…
American Bar Association Recognised Law School requirements relaxed due to COVID
The Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has announced that they will consider individual law school circumstances due to COVID-19 if bar passage rates fall below 75%. During the announcement at it’s November 20th public meeting, the council said law schools failing to meet Standard 316, sometimes called…
Japan Ministry of Justice approves update to registered foreign lawyer system
The Ministry of Justice in Japan has approved changes to the registered foreign lawyer system, which will expand the scope of practice for lawyers working in Japan. The changes, which are intended to improve practice conditions and expand Japan’s international legal market, are focused around three main issues – The scope of ‘international arbitration case’…
Law Society of Scotland introduces new price transparency guidelines
Guidance for Solicitors in Scotland around price transparency is set to come into effect in January 2021. Under the new guidance, firms will be required to publish indicative price information about their services. The guidance will not apply to firms that solely undertake legal aid work or those which provide legal services to businesses, and…