News stories, articles and events that may be of interest to our community of legal regulators.
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State Bar of California consults on AI amendments to professional conduct rules
The State Bar of California is seeking public comment on proposed amendments to the Rules of Professional Conduct addressing lawyers’ use of artificial intelligence. The…SRA chief executive sets out priorities for change in 2026
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has set out a renewed set of priorities for 2026, following remarks by Chief Executive Sarah Rapson to a meeting of…The coming revival of the PeopleLaw sector
In his latest newsletter, Canadian commentator Jordan Furlong argues that generative AI or GenAI is beginning to reshape the legal market in ways that could reduce the profession’s focus on…Legal regulators urged to adopt more forward-looking risk strategies
Risk-based regulation remains central to legal sector oversight, providing a framework for identifying potential harms, assessing their likelihood and impact, and directing regulatory attention accordingly. In established areas of…Private equity-backed English firms enter Scottish market ahead of ABS reform
English firms backed by private equity are entering the Scottish legal market in anticipation of alternative business structure (ABS) reform. Although a limited form of ABS was permitted by the Legal…International Bar Association report identifies barriers to women’s leadership in law
The International Bar Association has published a new global report drawing on survey responses from 5,000 women working in the legal profession across 100 jurisdictions.…SRA ten-year diversity data shows progress but persistent gaps remain
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has published ten years of law firm diversity data for England and Wales, offering a longer-term picture of how representation across…New Zealand Law Society highlights major legislative reforms affecting lawyer
The New Zealand Law Society has highlighted proposed amendments to AML/CFT legislation currently awaiting second reading in Parliament. In its latest advocacy update, it notes…Law Society of Ontario introduces enhanced transparency requirements
The Law Society of Ontario has approved amendments expanding both the information that lawyers and paralegals must report to the regulator and the information that…Ireland to host new international arbitration hub
Ireland has been selected to host a new international arbitration hub, ICDR Ireland, as part of a wider effort to strengthen its position in cross-border…Empirical study examines hallucination detection in legal language models
New research examines how “hallucinations”: confident but incorrect or unsupported answers, can be identified in AI tools used for legal question answering. The study presents…Legal Services Board publishes interim findings on litigation guidance
The Legal Services Board of England and Wales has published interim findings from its review of how frontline regulators provide guidance on the scope of…New Zealand winds up Solicitors’ Fidelity Guarantee Fund following compensation reform
The New Zealand Law Society has reported on the formal winding up of the Solicitors’ Fidelity Guarantee Fund following legislative reforms that replaced it with…British Columbia introduces virtual court registry counter to support access to justice
British Columbia has introduced a virtual counter service for court registries, allowing members of the public to obtain procedural guidance, access forms, and receive basic…Four-year review of the SQE highlights early impacts on entry to the profession
The Solicitors Regulation Authority of England and Wales has published a four-year review of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination, providing a substantial dataset on candidate demographics,…BRAK Guidance on new EU-AML Obligations for Lawyers and Bar Associations
The German Federal Bar (BRAK) has published an explanatory note on the increased AML obligations for lawyers under the new EU Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (EU 2024/1624). As the Regulation will be…