Victoria Rees – Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society Role: Director of Professional Responsibility Background: Employed in various management positions with the NSBS for 29 years Tell us a little bit about yourself… Mother of three wonderful young men; 3rd degree brown belt in karate; love to travel; voracious reader; lover of all sports, especially American football (go…
BA2020 consultation: The Netherlands Bar
The Netherlands Bar (Nederlandse orde van advocaten, NOvA) is consulting on the future of professional education and training for lawyers. Currently, in order to qualify to practise law in the Netherlands, an individual must have 1) a Bachelor’s degree in legal studies, 2) a Master’s degree in Dutch law 3) have completed three years of…
Reform in Legal Education and Training in Hong Kong
In the article which follows, Heidi Chu, Secretary General of The Law Society of Hong Kong kindly provides us with an overview of the ‘state of play’ of legal education and training reform in Hong Kong. The present system of legal education and training in Hong Kong involves three stages, namely: an academic stage (a qualifying…
ICLR 2017 – Panel: Effective New Regulatory Responses to Complaints
A synopsis of panel session 5, which takes place on 6 October at ICLR Singapore, kindly provided by the session’s moderator, Susan Saab Fortney – Professor and Associate Dean for Research, Texas A & M University School of Law. Conference materials will be made available to ICLR.net members after the conference. The session examines new regulatory…
The new route to qualification as a solicitor: the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE)
In April 2017, the SRA announced that it would be introducing a new national licensing exam for those wishing to be admitted as solicitors of England and Wales, the Solicitors Qualifying Examination, or the SQE. Where did this idea come from? And why is reform necessary? What is the current system for qualification as a…
Focus on…cyber attacks
Cybercrime is now considered one of the leading risks to the global economy. Data is the world’s new natural resource. It is the new basis of competitive advantage, and it is transforming every profession and industry. Despite the lessons of the so-called ‘Panama Papers’ scandal of 2016, law firms continue to be soft targets for…
A review of the SRA’s ‘Trust and the Market’ Conference
On 22 June, the SRA hosted “Trust and the market: Building confidence”. The conference attracted more than 142 participants, reaching beyond the legal profession to regulators of other professions, government bodies, think tanks, parliamentarians and academics. SRA Chief Executive Paul Philip talked about the balance to be struck between building confidence and public protection, and…
Focus on… ABS investment activity
A major aim of the introduction of alternative business structures (ABS) in England and Wales was to allow new forms of capital into regulated law firms to improve market efficiency. Enabling external investment in law firms was designed to allow less reliance on short term sources of financing such as personal debt and overdrafts. The…
ICLR 2017 – Panel: “Protecting the Vulnerable”
A synopsis of panel session 7, which takes place on 6 October at ICLR Singapore, kindly provided by the session’s moderator, Lim Tanguy – Chief Executive Officer, Law Society Pro Bono Services Limited. Conference materials will be made available to ICLR.net members after the conference. This panel discussion will hear from regulators on the work that…
ICLR 2017 – Panel: “Disruption in the Legal Profession: Automated/Semi-Automated Online Delivery of Legal Services”
A synopsis of panel session 6, which takes place on 6 October at ICLR Singapore, kindly provided by the session’s moderator, Robert Hawley. Conference materials will be made available to ICLR.net members after the conference. Moderator: Robert A. Hawley – Former Deputy and Acting Executive Director, State Bar of California, USA Speakers: Crispin Passmore – Executive…