The Victoria Legal Services Board has published its Gender Equality Action Plan 2022-2025, with a view to challenging gender inequality within the organisation. The key focus areas, actions and measures identified in the GEAP align with objectives in VLSB+C’s Corporate Plan 2022-24, particularly in the People, Technology and Governance section of the plan. That section…
Law Council of Australia’s 2016 policy to improve equity in the profession hits milestone
The Law Council of Australia’s 2016 policy to improve equity in the legal profession has achieved its central aim. The Equitable Briefing Policy 2016 aimed to have female barristers receive instructions in 30% of all matters by 1st July 2020. A recent report states this goal has been achieved, with 31% of all instructions going…
Research shows a majority of solicitors in New South Wales hope changes to legal practice will remain in place
Research commissioned by the Law Society of New South Wales in Australia shows a majority of solicitors hope changes to legal practice brought about by COVID-19 remain in place. Respondents note that the move to remote delivery of legal services has brought a net benefit with the vast majority of solicitors in NSW hoping to…
Victorian warning on lawyers involvement in crowdfunding activities
Lawyers in the state of Victoria have been warned about their public conduct. Fiona McLeay’s December 2021 report sets out the importance of balance between access to justice and acting in a client’s best interests. The report reminds lawyers to think carefully before advising communities to pursue cases which will likely not be successful in…
Technology-based legal document generation services and the regulation of legal practice in Australia
This article examines, in the Australian context, the status of technology-based legal document generation services provided directly to the public, where the service provider is not a lawyer or law practice. A brief overview of how legal practice is regulated, what legal practice is and who can engage in it under Australian law is provided…
The Victorian Legal Services Board in Australia has issued new guidelines for dealing with sexual harassment
The Victorian Legal Services Board has published new resources on its website for people who experience of witness sexual harassment in the Victorian legal sector. These resources contain practical guidance about what individuals can do at the time and in the aftermath of experiencing or witnessing sexual harassment. These guidelines are being put in place…
Current State of Automated Legal Advice Tools
This paper is the first from the Regulating Automated Legal Advice Technologies (RALAT) project supported by the University of Melbourne’s Networked Society Institute. The project focuses on a cutting-edge development in legal technology: the automation of legal advice. It seeks to understand the practice settings in which Automated Legal Advice Tools (ALATs) are being adopted,…
Law Council of Australia releases webinar on frontline legal services in times of crisis
The Law Council of Australia has released a webinar looking at legal regulation in times of crisis, and how regulators can respond to external crises in the most effective and empathetic manner. The webinar draws on the experience of Australian regulators who have been through this years bushfires as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,…
Australia, Ireland, Scotland and England and Wales Bar publish new diversity and admissions data
New reports on admissions and diversity in the legal profession have been released by the Australian Conference of Law Societies, the Legal Services Regulatory Authority of Ireland (LSRA), the Law Society of Scotland and the Bar Standards Board of England and Wales. Australia The 2020 National Profile of Solicitors in Australia, produced on behalf of…
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…