We recently reported on the work of the California State Bar and their proposals for regulatory reform put forward by the Task Force on Access Through Innovation of Legal Services as well as the work being done by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) Testing Task Force. In her article, ‘Re-regulating Lawyers for the 21st…
SRA resources to help solicitors prepare for new standards and regulations
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), has produced a dedicated webpage of resources for solicitors to help them prepare for the introduction of their new Standards and Regulation on 25 November. The new Standards and Regulations aim to reduce bureaucracy, simplify rules and provide greater flexibility. One of the key new requirements is for all law firm…
Positive feedback from pilot of SRA’s Solicitors Qualifying Examination
The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) is a new, single assessment for qualifying solicitors and is due to be introduced by the end of 2021. A pilot to test the first part of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination – known as SQE1 – has shown that it is on course to be a valid, rigorous assessment, while…
Singapore launches ‘China-Ready Programme’ to deepen legal services cooperation with China.
The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) in Singapore, has recently launched a new programme targeting the legal industry. The educational programme is designed to help Singaporean legal professionals understand Chinese culture, business environment, legal systems and laws, as well as improving their understanding of Mandarin used in a legal context. The programme, as well as a…
Revised SRA approach to CPD is well recieved by law firms
Newly published feedback received by the Solicitor Regulation Authority (SRA) on continuous professional development (CPD) requirements introduced in 2016 has indicated that the changes have been well received by solicitors and law firms. The requirements, known as ‘Continuing Competence’ are available in full here and include requiring solicitors to make an annual declaration of their own…
LSK calls for ending of law school monopoly
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has called for the ending of the monopoly on Bar education in Kenya, following an inquiry into high rates of failure in the Bar examinations. Results from November 2018 revealed that 80 per cent of those who sat the test failed, with only 308 of the 1,572 candidates qualifying. …
ICLR 2019: Encouraging Innovation in Legal Services Provision via Tech
The following content has been provided by the panel presenting on this topic during the morning on day 2 of ICLR 2019. Synopsis In a rapidly evolving legal landscape and digital world, legal practitioners are engaging an increasingly sophisticated clientele requiring solutions that lie at the intersection of different industry sectors. The panellists will be…
ICLR 2019: Changing Nature of the Profession; Workshop C1: Equality and Diversity
The following content has been provided by the panel presenting on this topic during the afternoon on Day 2 of ICLR 2019. Synopsis The panel will focus on sexual harassment in the legal profession as a regulatory issue, and explore the regulatory issues that can arise in the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in sexual…
NCBE’s Testing Task Force and the Bar Exam of the Future
In the United States, the authority to regulate the legal profession belongs to individual jurisdictions; each U.S. state or territory sets its own rules and makes its own decisions about legal licensure. For licensure examinations, most jurisdictions use one or more of the bar exam components produced by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE),…
ICLR 2019: Consumer interest in regulation
The following content has been provided by the panel presenting on this topic during the afternoon on Day 2 of ICLR 2019. Synopsis This workshop will consider the following issues and topics: Consumers v clients Regulation, regulators and the regulated Empowering consumers Ethical questions and challenges for regulators, including NDAs Presented by: Michael Clancy OBE,…