Celebrating its 15th anniversary, the World Justice Project (WJP) continues its mission to strengthen the rule of law globally. Since 2009, it has documented the impact of legal frameworks on justice, opportunity, and peace while spearheading policy reforms and research initiatives to address the ongoing decline in the rule of law worldwide. The 2024 WJP…
March Feature – Anti-Money Laundering
On 23 February the fifth Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary session concluded with some important outcomes for the legal industry. Three days of discussions on key money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing issues have produced new risk-based guidance for the implementation of Recommendation 25 on the beneficial ownership and transparency of legal arrangements. This…
Lawyers as money laundering enablers? An evolving and contentious relationship
Levi, M. (2022). Lawyers as money laundering enablers? An evolving and contentious relationship. Global Crime, 23(2), 126-147. Using limited datasets and case studies drawn from the Global North and South, this article critically considers the available evidence about the involvement of lawyers in elite money laundering and attempts to control their involvement. In addition to lawyers’ lobbying…
The profession(s) engagements with LawTech: Narratives and archetypes of future law
This article argues that there are three narratives to technology’s role in augmenting, disrupting or ending the current legal services environment—each of which gives life to particular legal professional archetypes in how lawyers react to LawTech. In tracing these influential narratives and associated archetypes, we map the evolving role of LawTech, the legal profession and…
The International Bar Association publishes report on international principles on professional indemnity insurance
The International Bar Association has published new principles on professional indemnity insurance for bar associations and regulatory bodies to consider in their jurisdictions. The guidelines come from a working group made up of the IBA Issues Commission Policy Committee and IBA Legal Policy & Research Unit. The working group found there to be little uniformity…
The Lawyer of the Future as “Transaction Engineer”: Digital Technologies and the Disruption of the Legal Profession
Fenwick, M., & Vermeulen, E. P. (2019). The Lawyer of the Future as “Transaction Engineer”: Digital Technologies and the Disruption of the Legal Profession. In Legal Tech, Smart Contracts and Blockchain (pp. 253-272). Springer, Singapore This chapter introduces two connected arguments about the future of the legal profession . First, the ongoing “digital revolution ” will continue…
Event: Global trends and challenges in legal education and legal practice
28 JAN 2021 1300 – 1400 GMT Online The connection between legal practice and legal education is extremely relevant for law firms and legal departments, as well as for universities and bar associations. This webinar will explore the connection between the most recent global trends and challenges in legal practice and legal education. Event Website
IBA Survey on Disciplinary Responses to Inappropriate Personal Conduct
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…
IBA launches project on lawyer mental wellbeing
The International Bar Association (IBA) has launched a global project aimed at addressing the mental wellbeing of legal professionals, particularly in light of the tensions raised by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The first phase of the project is made up of two global surveys – one for individual lawyers, the other for law firms and…
IBA launches global survey on the impact of COVID-19
The International Bar Association (IBA) has launched a global survey to look at the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on members’ interests. The survey will collect information on: the impact of Covid-19 on bar associations’ and law societies’ day-to-day operations, finances and staff; the impact measures taken to tackle the virus have had on local…