The Law Society of British Columbia is considering regulating law firms for more efficient and effective regulation. At their meeting on December 8, 2017, the Benchers* approved the recommendations of the second interim report of the Law Firm Regulation Task Force as amended at the meeting and resolved to initiate them through a pilot project that will be…
Event: Diversity and inclusion in the legal profession – widening access, improving workplace culture and assessing new regulatory priorities
8 March 2018|Central London This seminar will focus on the challenges and opportunities for law firms, regulators and wider stakeholders for improving diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. Delegates will consider what more can be done to improve access to legal professions for candidates from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, looking at the role of the…
The Law Society of Scotland proposes reforms to legal services regulation
The Law Society of Scotland has called for wide-ranging reforms that will allow it to keep pace with global developments within the sector and improve consumer protection. It has set out a series of recommendations in its submission to an independent review of legal services regulation which include expanding consumer protections to currently unregulated areas of legal…
ICLR conference 2018 update: help design the programme
As announced at the end of last year, the 7th annual ICLR conference is taking place in The Hague between 3 – 5 October, 2018. The Netherlands Bar, has begun the process of organising the conference and is looking forward to sharing the experience of its recently revised structure of regulation of the legal profession as…
Proactive management-based regulation: update from the US
Technology was very much a topic of conversation at the 2017 ICLR Meeting in Singapore. Regulators are using technology to help them better focus their work and resources. In the context of access to legal services and access to justice, technology offers consumers ways to connect with lawyers and to get help. And, technology helps…
The venue for the 2018 ICLR is…the Hague, the Netherlands
Congratulations to the Netherlands Bar Association. Their invitation to the Hague won the most votes in our recent survey which means that they will be welcoming ICLR delegates to the Hague in 2018 for the 7th International Conference of Legal Regulators. The proposed dates for ICLR 2018 are 3, 4 and 5 October 2018. This is…
LSB open consultation: share your views
The Legal Services Board (England and Wales) has launched a consultation paper seeking input and comment on their proposed three-year strategy (2018 – 2021) and business plan for 2018/19. Some of the key themes and questions they address include: the impact of technology; consumer engagement with and experience of legal services; the impact of changing population…
Legal Services Regulation at the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society: a progress update
The journey to Legal Services Regulation (LSR) has taken a major step with the November 17, 2017 approval by Council of several regulatory amendments to advance the Society’s initiatives. The result is a model of regulating legal services that is risk focused, proactive, principled and proportionate. Key components of the regime and the impacts on…
Singapore 2017: from the perspective of a conference attendee
We asked Tracy Kepler Director, ABA Center for Professional Responsibility and recent ICLR Singapore attendee, to share some of her conference highlights with us. What was your favourite session and why? Tracy: Session 3: A New Look at Regulators’ Roles & Responsibilities – being divided into small groups to discuss certain questions and issues with differing…
Quality assurance and standards in legal services – professional competence, advocacy standards and consumer protection
Morning, Wednesday, 29th November 2017, Sixty One Whitehall, London SW1A 2ET This seminar will focus on the priorities for ensuring quality and upholding standards in the legal sector. It is timed to consider next steps for the implementation of the recommendations within the Competition and Markets Authority’s legal services market study – which found that the market was not…