The International Bar Association (IBA) Legal Policy & Research Unit (LPRU) and Bar Issues Commission (BIC) Regulation Committee are currently undertaking a global survey of regulators of the legal profession, looking at disciplinary responses to inappropriate personal conduct. This follows on from the IBA’s 2019 report Us Too? Bullying and Sexual Harassment in the Legal…
Utah to be First US State to Trial Non-Lawyer Ownership
Utah has become the first state in the US to allow non-lawyer ownership of legal services providers. This month the State Supreme Court unanimously voted in favour of approving a 2-year sandbox programme which would licence new forms of legal services ownership. The move has come about in the face of continued concerns over access…
Philippines authorises video notarization in quarantined areas
The Philippines Supreme Court has released updated rules that allow video conferencing software to be used for the notarization of documents in areas under quarantine due to public health concerns. The authorisation is contained in A.M. No. 20-07-04-SC, otherwise known as the 2020 Interim Rules on Remote Notarization of Paper Documents. The Rules shall be limited…
The future of legal services in England and Wales – reviewing regulation, consumer protection and responding to innovation
Tuesday, 15th September 2020 Online Leader of the review Professor Stephen Mayson, Centre for Ethics & Law, UCL is a keynote speaker at this conference. The report makes recommendations for the future of legal services, including: a single independent regulator for the legal sector – the Legal Services Regulation Authority – to replace the current arrangement…
Conference: AI and the Rule of Law – Regulation and Ethics
Friday 20th November 2020 IALS, London A call for papers is announced for the Information Law and Policy Centre’s Annual Conference, this year supported by Bloomsbury’s Communications Law journal. Further details at the event website.
State Bar publishes first annual report card on the diversity of California’s legal profession
‘Report card’ The State Bar’s “First Annual Report Card on the Diversity of California’s Legal Profession,” (PDF) provides baseline data on the diversity and workplace satisfaction of California’s attorney population across multiple demographic groups and employment sectors. The report brings into stark reality that despite significant growth in the proportion of attorneys who are women…
ABA profile of the legal profession: diversity and well-being
While the number of lawyers nationally has grown faster than the U.S. population, this growth hasn’t been spread evenly across races and ethnicities, according to the American Bar Association’s 2020 Profile of the Legal Profession. (PDF) The ABA Profile of the Legal Profession is a compilation of the latest statistics in the legal profession. In an…
The Bar Standards Board Race Equality Taskforce publishes case studies
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) Race Equality Taskforce has published two case studies to promote racial diversity and inclusion at the Bar. This marks the launch of a series of case studies that will focus on encouraging barristers’ chambers to adopt equality and diversity best practice from across the sector in order to foster a…
Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner: lawyer well-being project
In 2019 the Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner interviewed people working across all parts of the legal profession to gain a deeper understanding of lawyers’ experiences of mental health and wellbeing over their careers. These interviews were analysed and the resulting report ‘VLSB+C report on legal professionals’ reflections on wellbeing and suggestions for future reform’…
Law Society of Scotland COVID-19 impact surveys and COP26 working group
COVID-19 impact In April/May 2020 the Law Society of Scotland undertook a telephone survey with private practice firms to understand the financial impact the Covid-19 outbreak and subsequent restrictions were having on the sector. 90% of firms surveyed reported a downturn in new business, with the majority also reporting reduced turnover and cashflow. Read analysis…