In a revolutionary moment for the legal profession, the deregulation of legal services is taking hold in many parts of the country. Utah and Arizona, for instance, are experimenting with new regulations that permit nonlawyer advocates to play an active role in assisting people who may not otherwise have access to legal services. In addition,…
A study by The National Association of Law Placement in the US has found black and Latina lawyers remain unrepresented at partner level
The National Association of Law Placement has conducted its 2022 Report on Diversity in Law Firms. The report highlights the “excruciatingly slow” progress for black and Latina lawyers at partner level across the US. Currently these two groups each make up less than 1% of all partners in 2022. Conversely, women in general now make…
American Bar Association propose amendments to Model Rules of Professional Conduct
The Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility and Committee on Professional Regulation has produced a third discussion draft of possible amendments to the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. These possible changes aim to clarify lawyer’s obligations on client due diligence. This comment period has been influenced by the previous two drafts and the public comments…
Evidence-Based Lawyer Regulation
Chambliss, E. (2019). Evidence-Based Lawyer Regulation. Wash. UL Rev., 97, 297. The legal profession is losing its authority over the regulation of legal services. Recent changes in antitrust law have put state bar associations under a spotlight. Competition from technology companies and concerns about access to justice have increased political pressure for market liberalization. Independent research is…
I Think I Can: How Self-Efficacy and Self-Regulation Impacts Black and Latinx Bar Examinees
This study examined experiences of bar exam takers of color who passed on either the first or the second time. The theories of self-efficacy and self-regulation served as a conceptual framework for this study and were used to shape the interview questions as well as the data analysis. Eight participants were interviewed who graduated from…
The Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers United States recommends lawyers be permitted to practice in any state
The Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers (APRL), a group of 400 lawyers who advise on ethics matters, has recommended that lawyers admitted to a US jurisdiction be able to practice across any state. The Association suggests the ABA Model Rule 5.5, which was adopted in 2002 to prohibit lawyers from practicing in jurisdictions they had…
American Bar Association publishes new data on minorities and bar pass rates
New data published by the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, has suggested that White test-takers were more likely to pass the bar exam in 2020 than test-takers of other races and ethnicities. Within the grouping of those who identified as White men and women, 88% passed the…
ABA President Patricia Lee Refo – “Lack of advancement is not a ‘woman’ problem, it’s a ‘profession’ problem”
In a new column for the American Bar Association (ABA) Journal, ABA President Patricia Lee Refo has called for a change in attitude towards the way in which gender is viewed in the profession. In the column, she describes how the lack of progression for women in the profession represents systemic issues in both the…
Top jurists call for regulatory change to increase access to justice
During the 9th June ABA discussion on regulatory change, Vice Chief Justice Ann A. Scott Timmer of the Arizona Supreme Court stated that despite decades of efforts to encourage practising lawyers to perform a minimum of 50 pro bono hours annually to increase access to justice, minimal results have been achieved. Timmer is part of…
American Bar Association releases new report on the challenges faced by female lawyers
A newly released American Bar Association (ABA) report entitled, “In Their Own Words: Experienced Women Lawyers Explain Why They Are Leaving Their Law Firms and the Profession,” aims to shed light on factors that affect career decision making amongst experienced female lawyers. This includes information on why practitioners choose to remain in practice, move to…